Hilary Harris Giffin, is a graduate of the University of Delaware, holds a Master of Social Work from Catholic University in Washington DC and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Her work with disadvantaged children in the Washington DC area has given her an appreciation of the need for more effective ways of learning to read. From her use of television subtitles with her own children, she has come to appreciate the potential of captioned television programs to motivate learners to notice the captions and to provide a crucial educational opportunity.
Deborah L. Linebarger, earned her Ph D. at the University of Texas and is currently
an associate professor at the University of Iowa, College of
Education. She was previously a professor at the Annenberg School For Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. She has conducted research for the last six years examining the impact of media use on the development of young children and has written extensively on the impact of television captions on early literacy. Her research supports the conclusion that the proper use of television subtitles can have a positive effect on learning to read.
Joyce McLean, holds a degree in elementary education from Pennsylvania State University as well as a Masters of Education. She has taught first and second grade and understands the importance of beginning to learn to read at an early age. She believes that the use of television subtitles will greatly expand young children's reading skills such as print awareness and basic phonics.
Laura Lou Meadows, a founding trustee and Executive Director of Captions for Literacy, is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Miami University of Ohio. In addition to her legal practice, she has had extensive administrative experience in her work with major United States law firms and international corporations. Her published writings in various national publications and her teaching experience at Brooklyn Law School and New York University have contributed to her appreciation of the need for innovative methods of learning to supplement traditional classroom efforts.
Susan B. Neuman, received her doctorate from the
University of the Pacific, Stockton, California and is
currently Professor of Educational Studies at the University
of Michigan. She is a former Assistant Secretary for
Elementary and Secondary Education in the Department of
Education where she was responsible for the implementation
of “No Child Left Behind.”
She has directed many research projects designed to change the odds for
children growing up in poverty and is the author or
co-author of a number of books and articles dealing with
television and early literacy. She has long been interested
in the use of television closed captions to promote early
childhood literacy.John L. Peschel, is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and the University of Minnesota. After practice with a major New York law firm for five years, he devoted the rest of his professional career before retirement to legal education as a teacher, scholar and administrator, primarily at two law schools, Tulane in the 1970s and since 1978 at New York University. A partial hearing problem has led him to use Closed Captions on television for several years. Also, he has had broad experience in America and Europe with the use of captions for both opera and symphony (with vocal aspects) performances.
John Y. Taggart, a founding trustee and Director of Captions for Literacy, is a graduate of Ohio State University and its School of Law. For twenty years he taught at the Law School of New York University and has lectured at various legal programs across the United States. He has been an author and editor with government and private sector experience in international and domestic law. As a professor, he came to recognize the significance of the ability to read and understand complex written materials, both professional and recreational. His graduate seminar “How to Write For Publication” and his law revue editing experience have confirmed his interest in promoting the use of television captions to refine reading skills at all levels |
