Amy Szarkowski, PhD, is Director of The Institute at the Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD), an organization that – through partnerships and community engagement with individuals who are deaf/hard of hearing or have disabilities – strives to bridge research and practice to inform scholarship as well as delivery of supports that promote professional excellence. Dr. Szarkowski is also on the faculty in the LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities) program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Additionally, she is a Research Fellow in the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Dr. Szarkowski serves as a Core Team member with Fostering Joy and a member of the Writing Team for the Family-Centered Early Intervention (FCEI) International Consensus Panel. She obtained bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and a Health Promotion/Fitness Management; three master’s in Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Administration & Supervision; and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Dr Fiona Kyle is a lecturer at the Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre (DCAL) at University College London (UCL). She is a chartered psychologist and her research focuses on the acquisition and development of literacy, language and cognitive skills in children. She is the director of The Literacy and Deafness Development Research Lab (The LADDER Lab). Fiona’s research investigates how deaf children learn to read and spell, and the cognitive correlates of reading success including language, speechreading, and phonological skills. In particular, she is interested in how different language experiences and backgrounds (use of spoken language, sign language or cochlear implant) shape deaf children’s language and literacy outcomes and the underlying processes.