The Georgia Sensory Assistance Project (GSAP) is a discretionary federal grant funded through the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs to increase the capacity of education teams and families to educate children who are deaf-blind. GSAP is housed within the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education. GSAP provides consultation, training, and resources for educators, service providers, and families of children and youth with combined vision and hearing loss, from birth through 21 years of age, across the state of Georgia.
Children and youth with combined vision and hearing loss experience challenges in getting information from the people and objects around them; often need support in order to learn, communicate, and interact with the world; and often have additional disabilities or health concerns.
GSAP Team ~ Diane, Carol, Cindy, Martha, and Christine
Cindy Vail earned her doctorate degree from Florida State University and has expertise in early childhood special education, early intervention, positive behavior supports, teacher preparation, and collaborating with families. She is a professor of special education, department head of communication sciences and special education in the college of education at the University of Georgia, and project director for GSAP. Contact Cindy for questions related to state partnerships and collaborations.
Carol Darrah earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in child and family development from the University of Georgia. She worked in the field of early intervention for 15 years before joining GSAP. Contact Carol for questions regarding the Georgia child count of students with combined vision and hearing loss, early identification and referral, transition from early intervention to preschool, family engagement activities, and general questions.
Martha Veto received her M.Ed from the University of Pittsburgh and worked as a teacher for the visually impaired/orientation and mobility specialist for 25 years before joining the South Carolina Interagency Deaf-Blind Project in 2005. She has worked with GSAP since moving to Georgia in 2008. Contact Martha for questions about GSAP training opportunities, transition from high school, and cortical visual impairment.
Christine Spratling earned her BSEd in special education and deaf and hard of hearing; her MS in interrelated special education; and EdS in educational leadership. She has 30 years of experience in teaching students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind, pre-K to grade 12, in a variety of settings. Christine also serves as an early intervention specialist for Georgia PINES. Contact Christine to request consultation to address topics such as: adapting materials, literacy, active learning, communication, and cortical visual impairment.
Diane Foster earned an associate's degree and worked in the insurance industry for 20 years. In 2003 her son Alex was born prematurely, and her deafblind journey began. She earned a deafblind certification from East Carolina University in 2012. Diane participated in the creation of the OHOA modules with NCDB. Contact Diane to talk about family calls, transition, and topics related to Prematurity.
Emily Adams earned her Bachelor's degree in special education from Lee University and master’s degree in deaf education from Vanderbilt University. She has five years of experience in teaching special education and teaching students with visual impairments. Emily is currently a doctoral student in early childhood special education and serves as the GSAP graduate assistant.