Project Coordinator

Phone: 415-405-7558
E-mail: mbelote@sfsu.edu

Maurice Belote has served as the CDBS Project Coordinator since 1997 and began his work with the project in 1992 as an Educational Specialist. Maurice has taught at public and private schools throughout the state and has developed innovative models at local school sites related to integration into general education programs, augmentative and alternative communication systems, community-based instruction, job development and training, and transition from school to adult life. Maurice is a frequent speaker at state, national, and international meetings and confereces. In his free time, he serves as the Co-Chair of the National Coalition on Deafblindness, where he advocates for recognition of intervers and teachers of students who are deafblind. He is a proud graduate of the teacher training program in deafblindness at San Francisco State University.

Project Director

Phone: 415-338-7847
E-mail: 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.

Educational Specialist

Phone: 415-405-7559

E-mail: jmaier@sfsu.edu

Julie Maier is an Educational Specialist for CDBS. She joined the team in 2012 and provides technical assistance to students with deafblindness, families, and school teams. In addition to her work with CDBS, Julie is a faculty member in the SFSU Department of Special Education and has served as a research assistant, guest lecturer, course instructor and fieldwork supervisor in the Moderate-Severe teaching credential and Masters degree programs since 1999. Julie has been involved in the in the field of special education since 1987 when she first met and taught individuals with deafblindness in community-based adult program and later in inclusive schools in Berkeley. Julie loves her role at CDBS which offers her opportunities to meet and work with remarkable families and educators and most especially to marvel at the creativeness, determination and resiliency of the children and youth she serves.

Family Engagement Specialist

Phone: 951-785-7898
E-mail: 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.

Administrative Specialist

Phone: 415-405-7561
E-mail: devereux@sfsu.edu

Brian Devereux joined CDBS as an Administrative Specialist in March, 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.

Educational Specialist

Phone: 949-874-3524
E-mail:  kcoburn@sfsu.edu

Kayla Coburn is an Educational Specialist for CDBS. She joined the team in 2019 and provides technical assistance to students with deafblindness, families, and school teams. Kayla also works with Helen Keller National Center as a Rehabilitation Teacher and focuses on Independent Living Skills with adults with deafblindness. Kayla was apart of the first cohort that completed CDBS's specialization program while completing her master's in Special Education at San Francisco State University. The last 5 years, Kayla has been working in the classroom as a Special Education teacher in the Bay Area and more recently in Orange County. Kayla is excited to be apart of such a remarkable team and grow closer to a community she feels so passionate about.