About the Staff...

Creative Director August Vanderbeek, Psy.D

My name is August Vanderbeek and I am a licensed psychologist. I was named August because my mother loved the month and had a dream about her baby being called August. When I was seven or eight years old I made up my own sign language which I taught to my best friend. We had our own secret language. During this time, I grew up exposed to the visual arts. My father was a filmmaker who believed in creating a universal visual language. This history, plus meeting a college professor, who was an American Sign Language psycholinguist, ignited my conscious awareness and interest in the Deaf Community.

I received my B.A. in American Sign Language Psycholinguistics from Hampshire College. From1981 to 1984 I worked with Dr. George Sperling designing a TV phone for deaf people. As a psychology doctoral student I externed at PS-47 School for the Deaf and at Lexington's Mental Health Clinic for Deaf Persons. Dr. Gil Trachtman mentored my interests with the deaf staff and students at New York University and in 1991 I received my Doctorate in Child Psychology.

From 1992-93, I was a counselor at the Miami Deaf Service Bureau working with Hurricane Andrew's deaf victims. During that time I saw there was such a great need for mental health services for the deaf community in the Miami area I advocated to become the first hired psychologist to work specifically with the deaf community at Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami. For five years (1994 to 1999) I developed and directed the Deaf and HH Outpatient Mental Health Program. This program continues to operate successfully today.

My history with dolphins developed as a young teenager in the 1970's and has continued into my adulthood. I have read many different dolphin books, participated in many varied workshops run by leading dolphin professionals and volunteered at different sea aquariums on the east coast. In 1988, I worked on a project with autistic children and dolphins at Dolphins Plus. Since then, I have had many personal swims and consulted with various dolphin programs in the Florida Keys.

Presently, I live in SW Colorado, have a private practice and work on developing special projects. Overall, I believe in learning from each other's cultures (Deaf and Hearing). While I have experience with the deaf community, there is much I still need to learn. I hope everyone involved will benefit from the growth this project will provide.

Staff Member Amy Withrow
Nationally Certified Interpreter

I was born and raised in a small, western Pennsylvania town called Ligonier. After graduating from high school, I attended Mount Aloysius Jr. College in Cresson, Pennsylvania, where I received an AA degree through their Interpreter Training Program in 1984.

I got my start in the interpreting field at Pittsburgh Hearing Speech and Deaf Services in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While working there, I earned my Comprehensive Skills Certificate. In 1987, I moved to Washington, D.C. to join the oldest and largest for-profit Interpreter Service Provider in the country -- Sign Language Associates (SLA). While working for SLA, I received my CI (Certificate of Interpretation) and CT (Certificate of Transliteration) in 1990. My interpreting work in the Washington Metro area took place in many settings, including medical, legal, educational, mental health, business, and the performing arts.

I currently live in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. I am also a Certified Massage Therapist and a Registered Craniosacral Therapist. I enjoy hiking, horseback riding, reading and a variety of outdoor activities.

Ilene Haykus, Staff Administrator

I received my Masters Degree in Psychology from Antioch University in 1982 and have been working in the field of personal growth and transformation for over 20 years. I was Founder and Director of the Alchemy Institute, the first state licensed vocational school in Colorado to offer professional training in the field of hypnotherapy.

I had my first personal contact with dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in 1994 and have continued to enjoy interactions with these amazing animals at both the DRC and the Roatan Institute for Marine Science in Honduras. I'm happy to be able to combine my therapeutic background, experience with dolphins, and administrative skills in support of Dolphin Journeys for Deaf Children.

About the ASL Interpreters

Staff for this program will include two ASL Interpreters, who will share the daily demands of this intensive program and provide the best communication facility for everyone. We also plan to have at least one deaf staff member.

In order to help DRC communicate more easily with the children and better understand their needs, DRC and Deaf Service Bureau have been working together via sign language and deaf culture introduction classes.

Dolphin Journeys for Deaf Children is dedicated to providing opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing children to have contact with, learn about, and safely swim with dolphins, in a supportive, loving atmosphere.

Contents ©2003 by Dolphin Journeys for Deaf Children, Pagosa Springs, CO 970-946-2530
Photographs ©2002 by August Vanderbeek or Dolphin Research Center
Web site design ©2003 by HudsonHudson
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