Meet Leanne Grillot, APH’s Director of National Outreach Services

We’re so excited to welcome Leanne Grillot as our new Director of National Outreach Services. This position directs the operations of APH’s Outreach Services Department, which provides consultation, support, and other services to Ex Officio Trustees, professionals in the field of vision, families of people who are visually impaired, and consumers. The goal of Outreach Services is to create an important link between APH and the best educational practices in the field of vision.

Currently living in Tallahassee, Florida, Leanne Grillot is working on her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Special Education at Florida State University (FSU), where she is an adjunct professor in the Visual Disabilities Program. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Elementary Education from State University of New York Oswego and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education/Visual Disabilities from FSU. Leanne has extensive knowledge of braille codes and assistive technology and is a certified orientation and mobility instructor. She has served as a teacher of the visually impaired and O&M instructor for students of all ages since 1992.

“I’m eager to listen, to understand what you need in the field, then provide the information about products that teachers and administrators want to best do their jobs. With regional partnerships and building a learning management system, we will strengthen APH’s outreach to support and welcome all people who are experiencing vision loss or blindness. Whether you are someone who is blind or visually impaired yourself or someone who is a provider of services, we want to know what you need.”

Leanne’s responsibilities include serving as an APH ambassador for the Federal Quota Program by overseeing the annual student registration, participating in key partnerships, and delivering presentations across the country. She will develop the vision for APH’s Learning Management System, an accessible online repository of multimedia content supporting the professional learning needs of teachers working with APH products in classrooms with students who are blind or visually impaired. Leanne will also serve as the liaison with APH’s two standing Advisory Committees and will administer the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind.

Gary Mudd, APH Vice President of Government and Community Affairs—to whom Leanne will report—said, “I am thrilled that Leanne has joined our APH family. Her passion and enthusiasm for this field is contagious. Her experience, coupled with her ability to communicate, will strengthen relationships and build our community to be one of inclusion.”