CONTACT US

CONTACT CDBS

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 323-363-7499

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:
Ethnic Studies and Psychology Building (EP) – Room 415

Map of San Francisco State University

Directions to Campus

Our Team — CDBS

Julie Maier — Project Coordinator

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 inclusive 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.

Myrna Medina — Family Engagement Specialist

Phone: 323-363-7499
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 323-363-7499

Dr. Kathleen Mortier — Project Director

Phone: 415-338-7847
Email: kmortier@sfsu.edu

Dr. Kathleen Mortier is an associate professor in the Extensive Support Needs (moderate/severe disabilities) Program at SFSU and also serves as Coordinator of that program. Prior to joining the faculty at SFSU, she was involved in systems change and inclusive education in Central America and in Belgium. Her primary teaching responsibilities at SFSU include courses in instruction of students with extensive support needs, research methods, and inclusive education. Her research interests focus on inclusive education, communities of practice, family-school partnerships for Latinx families with children with disabilities, and literacy instruction for students with extensive support needs. She earned her Master’s degree in special education from SFSU and her Ph.D. in pedagogical science from Ghent University in Belgium.

Brian Devereux — Administrative Specialist

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.

Kayla Coburn & Charles Beavis

Kayla, our former Southern California Education Specialist, is now working in another state. Charles, our former Northern California Education Specialist, is now working at a school site. They both will be continuing to advocate for students and teams there.

California teams and families that had been working with Kayla and Charles will continue to be served by CDBS staff. Please contact our Project Coordinator Julie Maier at jmaier@sfsu.edu (or leave a voicemail at 415-405-7558)