The Center for Sensory and Complex Disability team consists of individuals with a wide range of experience and training related to supporting children and youth with various sensory needs their families and service providers.
Jerry G. Petroff
Executive Director
Executive Director, Jerry G. Petroff, is a full professor at TCNJ, has been professionally involved in the education of students with deafblindness for over thirty years. He holds a doctor of philosophy in psychological studies in special education, a master of education in speech pathology and audiology, and an undergraduate degree in deaf education. Dr. Petroff is a nationally recognized expert in the education of children with deafblindness.
Kelly Reymann
Assistant Director of The Center on Sensory and Complex Disabilities
Kelly has been professionally involved in Supported Employment for young adults with intellectual disabilities since 2003. A graduate from The College of New Jersey, with degrees and Certification of Teacher of the Handicapped and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Instructional Design, she began her career with a public school district, where she used the community work-sites as her “classroom”. With a passion for having high expectations for people with disabilities in the workforce and community, Kelly has always had an interest in creating a “win-win” opportunity for both the person with a disability AND the employer.
Kelly is responsible for the oversight of the Memorandums of Agreement in Partnership with the NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, including the following departments:
- Work Skills Preparation (WSP) Program
- College Preparatory Program, in partnership with the Bonner Summer Pre-College Program
- I Can Connect (ICC-NJ), federally funded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Support Service Provider Program (SSP)
Presently, Kelly is also an adjunct professor in the School of Education teaching graduate courses emphasizing on Transition and Community-Based Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities and Curriculum Design for Students with Severe Disabilities.
Ashley Dalia
Project Director of New Jersey Center on Deafblindness (NJCDB)
Ashley is a dual-certified Teacher of the Deaf and Teacher of the Visually Impaired. Ashley earned her undergraduate degrees in Deaf and Elementary Education at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL, and a Master of Education in Education Leadership at the University of North Florida. Ashley began her professional career at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) where she developed a network for transition-age students with deafblindness in collaboration with the Florida Deafblind Project. Ashley also worked with families through the FSDB’s Parent Outreach Program as an early interventionist. After moving back to her home state of New Jersey in 2015, she taught in a local public school district and established a mainstream program for students who were deaf, visually impaired, and deafblind. In addition to her students, Ashley’s passion is to empower educators in the classroom, partner with administrators to individualize student programs, and help families connect with resources in their community. Ashley envisions cultivating a community that values collaboration, accessibility, and inclusion, where children with deafblindness across the state can thrive.
Angela Smith
Deafblind Specialist at New Jersey Center on Deafblindness (NJCDB)
Angela is a certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist. She holds a Master of Science degree from Salus University. Angela began her career serving adults with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She moved on to assist in expanding the Orientation and Mobility Immersion Program at Guide Dogs for the Blind. Angela has created curricula, presented internationally, and provided direct service to individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. As a program specialist, she endeavors to support educators, service providers, and families of children who are deafblind. She believes that educational teams must collaborate to assess and address the needs of each student to encourage access, communication, functional development, independence, and quality of life.
David Rims
Business Manager
David Rims is the Business Manager for the Center on Sensory & Complex Disabilities: Research and Training (CSCD) at The College of New Jersey. Mr. Rims’ focus involves several Federal and/or State grants, and several enterprise accounts under the umbrella of the center. These include the Career & Community Studies Program (CCS), The Support Service Providers of New Jersey (SSP-NJ), The Work Skills Preparation Program (WSP@TCNJ), The Post-Secondary Education for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID/CCSPLUS) and The Autism Center at TCNJ. He is a full time staff member at the college, and holds a degree in Health Administration.
Michelle Ragunan
CSCD Progam Coordinator
Project Manager, Michelle Ragunan, has been working with individuals with disabilities and their families for the past eighteen years and has been providing technical assistance regarding students with deafblindness for the past eight years. She has extensive experience working with organizations for persons with disabilities and working as an advocate for individuals (both children and adults) with disabilities promoting self-determination, accessibility, and full participation in home, school, work, and community life. Her personal experiences, within the disability community, provide valuable insights in planning and implementation of project initiatives. Ms. Ragunan holds a master’s degree in human resources management with an undergraduate degree in psychology and a certificate in history.
Carly Fredericks
iCCNJ Program Coordinator
For the past seven years, Carly Fredericks has been active parent advocate for children with hearing loss and deaf-blindness. She has been involved in various fundraising events to support several establishments supporting children with hearing loss and to fund research that will lead to prevention, treatments, and cures for the entire spectrum of deaf-blindness. Carly speaks publically about her personal experiences raising a child with Deaf-blindness at various renowned institutions such as The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She thrives to provide all the resources available to individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. Currently, Carly is the iCanConnect Program Coordinator within the Center on Sensory and Complex Disabilities (CSCD) at TCNJ.
Melissa Buck
Transition Coordinator for WSP/CPE
Melissa has been involved, professionally, with young adults with intellectual disabilities since 2005. A two-time graduate from The College of New Jersey, Melissa holds a Master’s Degree and dual certification in Elementary Education and Teacher of Students with Disabilities. In 2012, she became the Transition Teacher/Specialist at the Northern Burlington County Regional School District. Currently, Melissa is the Program Coordinator for Summer Transition Programs within the Center on Sensory and Complex Disabilities (CSCD) at TCNJ, a partnership with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Kathleen Spata
Program Coordinator for SSP-NJ
Kathleen has been involved with the Deaf and Deaf-Blind communities since 2010. Kathleen is a graduate of Ocean County College with a degree in American Sign Language-English Interpreting. She studied Deaf-Blind Interpreting where she gained a passion for supporting this specific community. Since graduating, she has been a freelance sign language interpreter for various agencies. In 2013, Kathleen worked as an Employment Specialist for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for vocational rehabilitation. Kathleen joined the SSPNJ program in 2013 as a Support Service Provider for the Deaf-Blind community in New Jersey. She strives to take her experience to promote and support the independence and success of each New Jersey Deaf-Blind individual.
Jennifer Henkle
Family Engagement Coordinator
Jennifer Henkle is the parent of a five-year old daughter who is deafblind (CHARGE Syndrome) and has been actively involved in planning her daughter’s educational program; has worked with NJCDB as a resource parent; is actively involved in the deaf community and with the NJ School for the Deaf. Mrs. Henkle is the president of the NJ School for the Deaf parent organization. She also participated in the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network SRP training to become a resource parent.
Dot Loesch
Project Specialist
Dot Loesch joined the staff of the Center after retiring from the State of NJ with more than 32 years’ experience working with deaf, multihandicapped, and deafblind students. She instituted the deafblind program at the New Jersey School for the Deaf in 1979 leading it through future inclusion and transition processes. She also developed the PLUS Program at NJSD which dealt with deaf students with emotional disturbance and was the first of its kind in NJ. She is a graduate of TCNJ (formerly Trenton State College) and has her Bachelors in Education of the Deaf and her Masters in Special Education.
Danielle Sweeney
Youth Employment Program (YES) Coordinator/ Employment Specialist
Danielle is a 2005 College of New Jersey graduate with a degree in Special Education and a minor in Psychology. She was an elementary 3rd Grade Teacher, Title 1 Support Teacher, and Special Education teacher in South Brunswick for over 8 years before taking some time to be home with her children. While in South Brunswick she was part of the IR&S Team, District Curriculum Writing, Responsive Classroom Team, and many other school community activities.
She has worked as a job coach and employment coordinator for the Work Skills Preparation summer program for the past 16 years. Currently, Danielle works on the Youth Employment Solutions (YES) project for alum of the WSP program and works closely with the Commission for the Blind & Visually Impaired Vocational Rehabilitation Unit to assist young adults who are blind, vision impaired, and have additional disabilities find employment in their communities. She has also been part of the development and implementation of the Blindness Learning Community along with Kelly Reymann and has trained staff from various supported employment agencies across New Jersey. She has also provided job coaching for several graduates of the WSP summer program and has worked closely with employers to make worksites accessible.
Heather Osowski
CLLE Project Director
Heather Osowski has worked in the field of Deaf Education for over 20 years and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Teaching, both from The College of New Jersey. She is certified in Elementary Education, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Supervision in the state of New Jersey, and has recently completed her Educational Leadership Certificate at The College of New Jersey. During her tenure at the state school for the Deaf, she served as a high school instructor, transition coordinator, and led initiatives such as Community-Based Instruction and Person-Centered Approaches in Schools and Transition, collaborating with various state and national organizations supporting individuals in the Deaf, hard of hearing, and Deafblind communities. Following this, she became the Project Director for the New Jersey Center on Deafblindness (NJCDB), providing technical assistance to families and educators, and working closely with national organizations like the National Center on DeafBlindness and the Helen Keller National Center. She later transitioned into the role of Project Coordinator for the Campaign for Language & Literacy Excellence (CLLE), a partnership between TCNJ’s Center for Sensory & Complex Disabilities and the NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, where she led a small team in implementing key initiatives. A fluent user of American Sign Language, Ms. Osowski also serves as an adjunct professor and clinical supervisor in TCNJ’s Teacher of the Deaf program and as Faculty/Staff Advisor for the Deaf Hearing Connection. Beyond TCNJ, she is actively involved as an executive board member of the Katzenbach Parent and Staff Education Foundation and serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for the New Jersey Association of the Deaf.
Alyssa Buchholz
CLLE Family Engagement Coordinator
Alyssa Buchholz is a passionate Deaf mental health advocate, and entrepreneur. She holds a degree in psychology and sociology, and her current day job is running a nationwide group private practice for Deaf mental health therapy services. She previously served as a coordinator for SPAN Parent Advocacy Network’s Deaf Mentor Program for three years. She has been involved in advocating for Deaf children and their families access to resources for nine years, and she is passionate about ensuring families have opportunities to meet one another and share their stories.
Alyssa’s own experiences as a Deaf person with a Deaf family give her a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by the Deaf community. She believes that stories are powerful and that providing a space where children and their families can build a strong foundation can help long-term wellness. Alyssa believes that stories are one of the most powerful things we have, and she is passionate about creating opportunities for families to share their stories with each other.