Title

IPEI 2019: Taylor Fortner

Authors

Taylor Fortner, Fontbonne University

Files

Credentials

Program

Early Intervention in Deaf Education, MA

Education
Communication Disorders, BS | Southeast Missouri State University

Publisher

Fontbonne University Archives

City

St. Louis, MO

Comments

When I was beginning my undergraduate degree, I was not sure what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. I have always loved children and watching them learn how to talk and grow in their communication skills. I knew I found communication interesting and then found a degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences. As I went through my courses in undergrad, I was in a class that focused on the language and culture of the Deaf. I was enthralled with the information I was learning about and thought why not focus my interests in children and hearing sciences and work specifically with this population. After graduation, I worked in a preschool where I met a young child who had a profound hearing loss. When I met and worked with this child and seeing his journey really concreted the fact that I needed to go back to school and finish what I started only a couple years before.

I choose Fontbonne after searching for programs that were directly geared toward the deaf/hard of hearing population. The master’s degree here in Early Intervention in Deaf Education was a perfect fit in that I could focus on children with a hearing impairment. Fontbonne had great statistics in this graduate program while also offering the IPEI grant. When I met the wonderful teachers and mentors, like Jenna Voss, I knew that I would be in a program where I would succeed.

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