Coordinator of Professional Development and Products


Monmouth, OR

Amy T. Parker, Ed. D., & COMS, serves as the Coordinator of Professional Development and Products at the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) located at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon. She earned her doctoral degree in 2009 from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas in Special Education (Deafblindness and Orientation & Mobility). Her research interests include: single subject research, youth empowerment, transition issues for students with multiple disabilities, and neurolinguistics. Dr. Parker has also served as a Certified Interpreter in Texas and is currently a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist. Dr. Parker loves working with video and creating open access products that help educators and families around the world. Recently she led the national Deaf-Blind network in the creation of the Open Hands, Open Access Deaf-Blind Intervener Learning modules, which are being used by over 4300 people to increase knowledge and skills for serving students who are deaf-blind at the local level, www.moodle.nationaldb.org.

She has been a professor, an advocate, a job developer, and a technical assistance provider supporting people with disabilities. One of the most important roles she has had in her life is that of being a family member to a sister with vision loss and multiple disabilities. Melody has been a friend, a roommate, and a teacher to her. She inspired Dr. Parker as a child to think differently. Melody gave meaning to Dr. Parker’s research when she was pursuing her doctorate in special education. Over the years she has learned that by including people with disabilities and their families in educational systems and communities, all people benefit. Melody taught her that; and she continues to show her the meaning of hope, compassion, and resilience.