To request Technical Assistance (TA), simply complete the CDBS Technical Assistance Online Request form through the text link or on our Technical Assistance page.
General Questions? Please contact our Project Coordinator Julie Maier at jmaier@sfsu.edu (or leave a voicemail at 415-405-7558)
Para obtener ayuda en español, comuníquese con Myrna Medina, Coordinadora de Familias de California Deafblind Services en myrnam@sfsu.edu o 951-373-1659
415-338-2845 FAX
Mailing Address:
San Francisco State University
Department of Special Education
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94132-4158
Julie Maier's location on campus:
Burk Hall Building (BH) - Room 163
Map of San Francisco State University
Our Team — CDBS
Phone: 415-405-7558
Email: jmaier@sfsu.edu
Julie Maier is the Project Coordinator for CDBS. She joined the team in 2012 as an educational specialist and now coordinates our activities as well as provides technical assistance to the families and educational teams of children and youth who are deafblind across the state. Julie has been involved in the field of special education since 1987 when she first met and taught individuals who are deafblind in a community-based adult program and later in schools in Berkeley, CA as a paraeducator and special education teacher. From 1999-2021, she also served as a faculty member in the SFSU Department of Special Education in the roles of research assistant, course instructor, fieldwork supervisor, and personnel preparation program coordinator. The opportunity to train and mentor professionals entering the educational field was exciting and inspiring. Julie loves her job at CDBS which offers her opportunities to meet and work with remarkable families and educators and continually marvel at the creativeness, determination and resiliency of the children and youth our project serves.
Phone: 951-373-1659
Email: myrnam@sfsu.edu
Myrna Medina has served as CDBS Family Engagement Specialist since 2000 supporting families who have a child with deafblindness. She is the parent of two children, one of whom is deafblind as a result of an unknown etiology. Myrna is a native of Mexico and is fluent in English and Spanish. She has been instrumental in ensuring linguistic and cultural sensitivity of all CDBS Spanish language services and products. Myrna serves as the coordinator as well as an active regional participant of the CDBS Network of Family Support Providers and is currently serving her second term as Secretary of the Coalition of Parents and Educators Deaf-Blind (COPE-DB), the statewide family organization on behalf of children who are deafblind. Myrna also plays a leadership role in numerous organizations throughout the state, including Unidad y Fuerza (the FRC based at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach), Centro de Niños y Padres at California State University Los Angeles, Birth-to-Five Vision Network, Junior Blind of America, and Dicapta, an OSEP-funded accessible communication development project.
Para obtener ayuda en español, comuníquese con Myrna Medina, Coordinadora de Familias de California Deafblind Services en myrnam@sfsu.edu o 951-373-1659
Phone: 415-338-1039
Email: adamgraves@sfsu.edu
Dr. Graves coordinates and teaches in the Visual Impairments Program in the Special Education Department at San Francisco State University and is the current president of the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) Division on Visual Impairments and Deafblindness. In addition to this work in teacher preparation in the field of visual impairments, Dr. Graves has worked with students who are blind, visually impaired, and deafblind since 2003. Over the years he has served as a classroom assistant, special education teacher, teacher of students with visual impairments, and as an educational consultant for the Texas Deafblind Project. We feel he is the perfect match for CDBS and we’re excited for you to get to know him. He is eager to meet and support more professionals and families across the state.
Phone: 831-566-0724
Email: jdowling@sfsu.edu
Janelle Dowling is the Southern California Educational Specialist. A graduate of the SFSU-CDBS Deafblind Endorsement Program, she has already been working in the Special Education field for seventeen years. Over the years, she has worked as a paraprofessional, a classroom teacher, a school involvement specialist, and a consultant for many different families and educational teams. We are grateful to have her join our team!
Phone: 415-405-7561
E-mail: devereux@sfsu.edu
Brian Devereux joined CDBS as an Administrative Specialist in 2015. He coordinates and compiles the annual California Deafblind Child Count / Census, maintains the web sites for CDBS, and serves as intake for Technical Assistance requests. He enjoys working with CDBS to serve the students, educators, and families throughout the state.
Kathleen Mortier retired from CDBS in August of 2024.
Maurice Belote retired from CDBS at the end of 2021.
Please contact anyone at CDBS for assistance.