Programs at ISD
The school provides the following programs and services:
- Parent Infant Program
- Pre-School/ Pre-Kindergarten
- Elementary
- Junior High
- High School
- CTE
parent-infant program
Staff
The Kline House is staffed by certified teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing who are also credentialed Developmental Therapists/Hearing Specialists (DT/H) in the Illinois Early Intervention System. Staff members are qualified to use sign language as well as auditory/oral methods and have experience working with children who use hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Sarah Saettele
Sarah holds a BA in Deaf Education from MacMurray College and a MA in Early Childhood Education from Concordia University, St. Paul. She began teaching at the Illinois School for the Deaf in the Parent/Infant Program in 2001 as a Developmental Therapist/Hearing Specialist. In January of 2005, ISD established a satellite office of the parent/infant program in Southern IL, moving her back home to Belleville. From the Belleville location she serves the majority of southern Illinois. Through her work with the parent/infant program she has had the opportunity to work with children who use hearing aids, cochlear implants, and bone conduction aids. She has worked with children having a variety of degrees of hearing loss as well as children with special needs. She has also received training in Auditory Verbal therapy, Cued Speech, Auditory/Oral techniques, and Bilingual/Bicultural (ASL/English) education. Sarah has had the opportunity to speak at conferences about the Kline House parent/infant program as well as Illinois Early Intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, auditory training techniques, and cochlear implants.
Julie Grygiel
Julie graduated from Illinois State University in Normal, IL with a BS in Special Education for the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing in 1991. She began teaching in the public school system as an itinerant teacher working with deaf/hard-of-hearing and multiply impaired students in their local school districts. In December of 2000, Julie completed the Masters of Education program at the University of Illinois with a degree in Early Childhood Special Education with an Emphasis in Infancy. After teaching for 12 years, Julie began working in 2003 as the coordinator for the Hearing Education Program at Christie Clinic in Champaign. Her duties included supervising the newborn hearing screening program at a local hospital and providing 0-3 services to local families as a Developmental Therapist-Hearing Specialist. Through her 0-3 experiences she has worked with children with a variety of hearing loss. She has experience working with hearing aids, cochlear implants, and bone conduction aids. In February 2008, Julie joined the Kline House staff.
Ashley McEvers
Ashley McEvers is a 2008 graduate of MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois. There she received her Bachelors degree in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Education. Ashley is also a Jacksonville native who graduated from Jacksonville High School in 2003. It was there that Ashley began her journey into the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing world. While at JHS, Ashley not only took American Sign Language classes but also participated in many activities on Illinois School for the Deaf's Campus. In the summer of 2007, Ashley had the opportunity to work at Illinois School for the Deaf's Parent Infant Program. There she got the chance to interact with families and become more familiar with the Early Intervention system. Since starting in August 2008, Ashley has continued to learn and grow in her understanding of topics related to the Early Intervention system through experienced and insightful peers, mentors and trainings.