Alabama School for the Deaf (ASD) had students Mia Teague of Jacksonville and Joshua Kirk of Piedmont as part of the graduating 2023 class. Maria Quintino of Ohatchee graduates from the Alabama School for the Blind. These schools are part of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind.
Since 1858, Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) has provided superior education for students who are deaf, blind, deafblind and multidisabled in order to prepare them to reach their limitless potential. This year’s graduation exercises at AIDB will be held on Thursday, May 25 beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Hawkins Chapel with the annual Baccalaureate Service. The speaker was Allen D. Cope, Deputy General Counsel, Honda North America, Inc and President, AIDB Foundation.
Allen Cope is Senior Managing Counsel at American Honda, in the Law & IP Unit. He is responsible for managing the Contracts Department in the Corporate Operations Support Division, where he oversees the legal support for Honda’s direct and indirect contracts in the United States, as well as all real estate matters, and federal and state tax incentives. In addition to his role at American Honda, Cope has served on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Foundation, Inc. since 2014, and currently serves as President of the Foundation.
Helen Keller School of Alabama Commencement
Commencement exercises at Helen Keller School of Alabama (HKS) will be held at 1:00 p.m. in Wood Hall Auditorium.
The commencement speaker will be Chip Rowan, Special Education Teacher at Gadsden City High School. Rowan founded Beautiful Rainbow Cafe, a restaurant completely staffed by people with significant cognitive disabilities. In addition to serving farm-to-table food, the cafe operates a year-round organic garden. The cafe has placed 36 students in private employment in restaurants and food facilities in the last 3 years and has been recognized by Darden Rehabilitation Center, the Alabama Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and the Alabama State Department of Education as a model vocational training program for people with disabilities.
The class of 2023 from HKS includes Taylor Gannon of Wilsonville, Jacqueline Gosha of Troy, John Hamilton of Center Point, Jennifer Hulsey of Muscadine, Brianna Jones of Dora, Murphy Rabalais of Demopolis, and Angel Williams of Calera.
Alabama School for the Blind Commencement
Commencement exercises at Alabama School for the Blind (ASB) will be held at 2:30 p.m. in Oliver Hall Auditorium.
The commencement speaker will be Paul Schroeder. Since December 2020, Schroeder has served as the Vice President, Impact and Outreach for the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) which supports education for students who are blind or have low vision. Prior to joining APH, Schroeder served as Vice President, Public Policy and Strategic Initiatives for Aira, a technology company that provides access to visual information. Schroeder earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from American University and currently lives with his wife in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The class of 2023 from ASB includes Zania Abdullah of Talladega, Tinsley Andrews of Fyffe (Valedictorian), Zachary Barnes of Mobile, Cassidie Gorig-Worrell of Grand Bay, Ny’Dariun Marshall-Jones of Monroeville, Isaiah Merrill of Childersburg, Rindarious Pollard of Sylacauga, Maria Quintino of Ohatchee, Saniya Sanders of Birmingham, Narissa Swaim of Scottsboro, Jacquarious Tinniehill of Talladega (Salutatorian), and Belle Williams of Birmingham.
Alabama School for the Deaf Commencement
Commencement exercises at Alabama School for the Deaf (ASD) will be held at 6:00 p.m. in McFarland Auditorium.
The commencement speaker will be Trey Gordon, President of Adjacent Space, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focuses on educating the Deaf and hard of hearing communities on the Americans with Disabilities Act and advocating for the community. A native of Talladega, Gordon attended Alabama School for the Deaf and went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree from Gallaudet University. He then lived in India for almost four months serving their Deaf community. After returning home, he earned his Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The class of 2023 from ASD includes Iranzi Beatrice of Mobile; Austin Brown of Fort Payne; Kaleb Buck of Sylacauga; Emily Cash of Summerville, GA; Bogdan Dailey of Montevallo; Ellen Demouey of Mobile; Taylor Dubose of Talladega; Anjelica Duran-Carr of Montgomery; MaKenzie Farmer of Talladega; Kerstan Johnson of Bay Minette; Joshua Kelley of Dothan (Salutatorian); Joshua Kirk of Piedmont; Kiya Manson of Tuscaloosa; Carly Ortega of Grayson, GA; Stacey Phillips of Talladega; Hailey Rizor of Clanton (Valedictorian); Denijah Swain of Talladega; Mia Teague of Jacksonville; Juan Vasquez of Pell City; and DeShauna Wallace of Birmingham.
The AIDB Class of 2023 has received over $350,000 in scholarships.
