(Posted March 31, 2008)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Elaine Ducharme, director of consumer services for the Deaf-Blind Community Access Network in Allston, Mass., will give a talk at Juniata College on communicating without being able to see or hear at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 10 in Neff Lecture Hall in the von Liebig center for Science on the Juniata campus.

The lecture is free and open to the public. The talk is sponsored by the Juniata Instructors of the Future, the student club for education majors.

Ducharme, who lost her sight from Usher Syndrome, helps other deaf-blind individuals find services. Her job centers on recruiting services such as mobility assistance, personal care assistance and everyday errands. She also acts as a facilitator at group meetings and provides peer counseling.

Currently, she is enrolled in a master's degree program at Springfield College in Boston, Mass.

She attended the Helen Keller National Center and earned a bachelor's degree in human services from the University of Connecticut. She also founded the Deaf-Blind Organization of Connecticut and served as its president for 10 years.


Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.