Cheryl DeConde Johnson, Ed.D..

PO Box 918
Leadville, CO 80631
970-590-5500
cheryl@ colorado.edu

Profile

I am a dedicated advocate with forty plus years of experience in multiple levels of deaf education including as an educational audiologist, teacher of the deaf, early intervention provider and program coordinator for a large center-based preschool-high school deaf and hard of hearing program, higher education instruction for future teachers of the deaf, and state level leadership for deaf education, educational interpreting, and audiology services. In seventeen years as a consultant, I have assisted various state departments of education and other agencies regarding deaf education improvement including as a trainer for the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) implementing the 2nd edition of the Deaf Education Guidelines and as a co-editor of the third edition, Optimizing Outcomes for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. I am highly invested in family engagement with personal experiences of system challenges while raising and learning from my daughter who described herself as sometimes deaf and sometimes hard of hearing.

Current Work

Principal, The ADE-vantage [Audiology-Deaf Education vantage consulting services]

The ADE-vantage is a consulting service focusing on audiology and deaf education services in education settings. Through my consulting practice I:

Provide technical assistance and consulting services to agencies, school districts, state departments of education, and professional organizations regarding program development and evaluation, restructuring of systems, and accountability for services and student outcomes relative to children and youth who are deaf and hard of hearing;
Develop and conduct research in relevant areas for children with hearing impairments; and
Provide support and advocacy to families, school districts, and agencies to resolve specific assessment, services and placement issues involving children and youth who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Examples of state level work in deaf education include:

Ear Foundation of Arizona (2023-2025)
Foundation grant facilitator of stakeholder groups to survey parents and providers regarding early childhood services access to Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) and ASL. Gaps in access to these services and strategies to address them were recommended.
NASDSE Deaf Education Guidelines facilitation: Vermont, Kansas, Alabama, South Carolina (2020-ongoing)
Wyoming Department of Health (2018-ongoing)
Facilitator for Wyoming Early Intervention Initiative, an interagency project established to improve outcomes for children birth to age 5 who are deaf and hard of hearing. Funding provided through the Marion Downs Center Foundation.
New Hampshire Department of Education: All Together Now (2019-2021)
Assessment and recommendations for a statewide service model for services to deaf and hard of hearing students based on Improving Outcomes for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Educational Service Guidelines (NASDSE, 2018)
Ohio State University, Children’s Hearing and Language Development Resource Network (CHLDRN) of Ohio (2017-2018)
Facilitator for this Oberkotter funded collaborative planning grant establishing an effective statewide collaborative of stakeholders to identify and analyze current issues in follow-up services of early identified infants and toddlers and their families. Work to date includes facilitating the steering committee and stakeholder meetings, and regional focus groups of families and professionals. Additional data is being collected via online surveys. Information will be presented in a final report of the findings and recommendations. The grant principal investigator is Derek Houston, PhD, Ohio State University.
Delaware Department of Education (2014)
Facilitator for Task Force to make recommendations to the legislature regarding House Resolution #20 which sought input on 1) the current condition of educational services available to persons birth to twenty-one who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind throughout the State of Delaware; and 2) the administrative location of the Delaware School for the Deaf and Statewide Services for deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind students. Prepared written report for the legislature based on the recommendations.
Indiana Office of Management and Budget (2012-2015)
External Consultant to advise the creation of the Indiana Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education; assisted in the facilitation of stakeholder meetings and drafting team meetings for development of the Transition Plan and implementation of the transition Plan. Follow-up included facilitation of the Center’s first strategic plan.
Minnesota Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans (MCDHH) (2010-2017)
Facilitation of a diverse stakeholder group representing key agencies including the MN Department of Health, MN Department of Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation to develop outcomes and measurable indicators for children and youth who are deafblind, deaf, and hard of hearing in MN: Maximizing and Monitoring Learner Progress for Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing and their Families (2011).
New Hampshire Department of Education (2010-2012)
Facilitation of a stakeholder group representing deaf education and provided support to the development of the New Hampshire Educational Service Guidelines for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL) (2008-2010)
Facilitation of a year-long study to identify strengths and gaps in deaf education services statewide and make recommendations to the legislature for system improvements. The results of the focus group meetings and other data collection activities were summarized, along with the recommendations, in the report, Status of Educational Services to Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth in Washington (CDHL, 2010).
National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) (2007-2010)
As a contracted consultant for NASDSE, training was conducted for several state departments of education to improve statewide services to deaf and hard of hearing students. Follow-up technical assistance has been provided to Oklahoma and New Hampshire to develop deaf education service guidelines.
Greeley-Evans School District, Greeley, CO (2007)
Facilitation of a review of the deaf and hard of hearing program that included coordinating a team of investigators and development of a report summarizing the findings and recommendations. Program performance data, interviews with teachers and administrators, and fact-finding meetings with parents and students occurred as part of this program review.
The Colorado Department of Education
Facilitation of a consensus process that resulted in authorship of the documents: A Blueprint for Closing the Gap: Developing a Statewide System of Service Improvements for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CDE, 2002); Colorado Quality Standards: Programs and Services for Students Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CDE, 2004). A self-assessment of the Quality Standards was also performed, analyzed, and reported by the Research and Development Center for Advancement of Student Learning in 2006 (Ft. Collins, CO).

Other consulting activities include:

Pepnet2 (2011-2016) Consultant and facilitator for the OSEP federally funded PN2 Building State Capacity Summit project
Support and advocacy to families, school districts, and agencies to resolve specific assessment, services and placement issues involving children and youth who are deaf and hard of hearing
Design and implementation of school-based audiology programs
Processes for assessment of student performance and monitoring
Research in relevant areas for children who are deaf and hard of hearing

Other Employment

Current Adjunct Faculty appointments:

University of Arizona, College of Education, Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

Salus University, Osborne College of Audiology, International Audiology Certificate Program

Education

B.A., Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara (1975)

M.A., Audiology, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley (1976)

Ed.D., Special Education Administration: Audiology and Deaf Education Programs, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley (1982)

Background and Experience

Colorado Department of Education

Supervisor (2005-06), Exceptional Student Services Unit, supervising all special education monitoring activities, the state performance plan for the U.S. Department of Education - OSEP, and services to students with low-incidence disabilities; retired 7/31/06
Senior Consultant (1998-2005), Exceptional Student Services Unit, providing leadership and technical assistance for all aspects of Deaf education, educational interpreting, and educational audiology
Contracted audiology consultant (1990-1998), Exceptional Student Services, providing monitoring, support, and technical assistance to school districts in Colorado relative to audiology and hearing related services; provided leadership for educational audiologists employed by school districts and development of policy & guidelines for the provision of audiological services in the public schools

Greeley Public Schools, Greeley, Colorado

Educational audiologist (1976-1998, half-time 1990-1998) providing a full range of audiological and hearing-related services to children birth-21
Program coordinator and supervisor for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program (1983-87)

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, CO

Parent Facilitator, Colorado Home Intervention Program (1980-1992), providing support and guidance to families of children with hearing impairments birth-2 years
CO-HEAR Regional Coordinator (1990-2001)
Audiology Regional Coordinator

Hands & Voices

Co-Founder, Hands and Voices, Colorado Chapter (1991)
Co-Founder, Board of Directors (2002-present), President of the Board of Directors (2002-2013)

Awards and Honors

2016 Families First Award, Colorado Families for Hands & Voices
2006 University of Northern Colorado Alumni Association Trailblazer Award
2006 Phonak Cheryl DeConde Johnson Award for Excellence in Educational Audiology
2005 Lifetime Achievement Award of the Colorado Academy of Audiology
2003 Peak Performance Award, Colorado Academy of Audiology
2001 Frederick Berg Award for advancement of audiology services in the schools, Educational Audiology Association
2000 Families First Award, Colorado Families for Hands & Voices
2000 Professional Achievement Award for development of the educational audiology services model, the American Academy of Audiology
1993 ASHA Rolland J. VanHattum Award for outstanding service by a speech-language pathologist or audiologist in the schools.
1992 Colorado Speech-Language-Hearing Association Clinical Achievement Award (DiCarlo nominee to ASHA)
1990 Colorado Speech-Language-Hearing Association Public School Program of the Year

Publications and Presentations

70 book chapters and articles including co-author of two books
200+ professional presentations at workshops, seminars, conferences
100+ invited national and international presentations

Biographical Brief

Through her practice, The ADE-vantage, Cheryl DeConde Johnson provides audiology and deaf education consultation to agencies, school districts, state departments of education, and professional organizations regarding program development and evaluation, restructuring of systems, and accountability for services and student outcomes relative to children and youth who are deaf and hard of hearing.

She is a former consultant with the Colorado Department of Education where she was responsible for deaf education, educational interpreting, and audiology services from 1998-2006. Prior to that time was a part-time consultant for the Department of Education and an educational audiologist and program coordinator for the public school deaf and hard of hearing program in Greeley, Colorado.

She is currently an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Arizona in the deaf education master’s degree program, and a lecturer in the Salus University International Audiology Certificate Program. She is active as a consultant, program evaluator, writer, and has been a trainer for the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). Dr Johnson is a founding member of the National State Leader’s Summit in Deaf Education and a co-founder, and former President of the Board of Directors, of Hands & Voices.

Dr. Johnson’s special interests include promoting outcomes comparable to hearing peers for all children who are deaf and hard of hearing, communication access, and family involvement. Drawing upon her own experiences raising a daughter with decreased hearing from Rubella, she enjoys assisting families as they face similar issues and challenges. She is a co-author of the Educational Audiology Handbook, 4th edition (2026, Plural Publishing Inc), Educational Advocacy for Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Hands & Voices, 2023) as well as numerous other articles and book chapters. She is a frequent invited presenter, nationally and internationally, on topics related to audiology management and self-advocacy issues in the school environment associated with children and youth who are deaf and hard of hearing as well as various topics in deaf education. Dr. Johnson has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work including the Alumni Association of the University of Northern Colorado as the recipient of the 2006 Trailblazer Award and by Phonak with the establishment of the Cheryl DeConde Johnson Award for Excellence in Educational Audiology.

A complete curriculum vitae is available upon request.