Deborah Gleason

Deborah Gleason has three decades of experience building the capacity of services for children who are deafblind or blind with multiple disabilities in developing countries. She also has extensive undergraduate and graduate teaching experience, including with the development of distance education programs. Gleason has been affiliated with Perkins since 1980. She earned her master’s degree in Special Education from Boston College, specializing in deafblindness and multi-handicapped education. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary and Special Education from Boston College, and a post-graduate certificate in International Development from Gallaudet University. Gleason has authored several books and articles on the assessment and education of children with visual and/or multiple disabilities. She previously served as Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Education’s Early Childhood Advisory Council, and as a board member of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Gleason received AER’s award for Outstanding Practice in Services to Children and their Families in 2004, and the association’s Award of Excellence in 1991.