You Need
New faces at Inclusive
Strong demand for our products, rapid expansion and a desire to tell the world about the best in assistive technology - that's the drive behind taking on new staff here at Inclusive. New faces are already appearing at our UK and USA bases to help you get the best from your technology. So here is a quick guide to who's who!
Janet De Senzo and Christine Besko-Maughan are our new information officers, based in the USA. They will be helping parents, therapists and teachers to choose the right resources for learners with special needs and to get the most out of their products.
 |
Janet is a certified pre-school and elementary school teacher with a Master's Degree in Education/Language Arts. Prior to working for Inclusive TLC/Tom Caine and Associates she was employed as the Coordinator of Disability Services at William Paterson University for approximately six years. Her responsibilities included working with students who were dealing with a wide variety of disabilities. Currently, Janet is training teachers and administrators throughout New Jersey on how to best meet the needs of their students using technology. She enjoys the opportunity to get out and meet with professionals in the field and offer new and exciting ways to motivate and challenge their students. When she's not visiting schools, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children who are four and seven years old. |
A Certified Low Vision Therapist, Christine has experience of working with visually impaired students and adults to develop their daily living and computer skills. She also has extensive experience as an Assistive Technology Specialist with Bergen County Special Services in Paramus, New Jersey. Christine provided educational technology training to teachers in the district, conducted educational technology assessments and provided individualized technology training to students. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at William Paterson University, where she provides an introduction to assistive technology as part of a graduate level course. She is also busy working towards her Assistive Technology Practitioner's certification through the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). Christine is recently married and lives in Clifton, New Jersey. |
 |
 |
Also helping out in the States with graphic design, catalog production and website development is Marnie Vyff. Marnie, who has a BFA in Graphic Design, worked for seven years in New York City for prestigious design firms like Landor Associates and Studio Works. Answering the draw of the California sun, she then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and headed the marketing department of Cronicle Books. She then moved to Denmark with her new husband to raise a family and after her son Kristian was a year old, Marnie joined the marketing department of Shultz Information. She soon started their Design Department and managed the graphic design for all the firms Schultz owned. After over five years in Denmark, Marnie returned to the tristate area to start her own design firm, AltaGraphics. |
The UK Information Team, which provides advice to parents and teachers and organises major exhibitions for special needs software and access devices, is also being strengthened with the appointments of Alison Littlewood and Ian Wedgewood.
 |
Alison is a PR and Marketing Specialist who will help to raise awareness of the resources available to those with special educational needs. She holds the Chartered Institute of Marketing's Diploma and has experience in the sector, having worked with an education marketing consultancy. She also has PR experience with CAP Motor Research, where she wrote press releases, edited columns and organised TV and radio interviews. She lives in Sandal near Wakefield, with her partner Fergus. |
Ian Wedgewood joins us from Widgit Software where his main role was sales and marketing. You will be able to meet Ian at training sessions, seminars and exhibitions, as he will be helping parents and educators to use technology to support their learners. Many of you will know Ian from his Widgit days and he is looking forward to developing his role and his knowledge at Inclusive Technology. His background is in sociology and community drama work, where he worked with adults and children with learning disabilities in education and in community centres. Ian lives with his fiancé Imogen in Marsden.
Three new programmers and graphic artists have also just joined the Development Team, to help us produce a wider range of software for special needs pupils and students.
| The entertaining characters that you see in future Inclusive products could well be the creations of Lee Tatlock, our new Graphic Artist. Lee joined us from St. Helens College, where he studied Media and 3D Animation, to learn how to maximise the potential of his drawings and artwork in digital form. Lee lives in St. Helens and spends his spare time equally creatively, writing music. |  |
| Mark Ross is also a Graphic Artist and will be working on the settings and backgrounds for new special needs software, as well animating the characters. He previously worked in marketing as a Database Coordinator, after studying Multimedia Technology in Leeds. He lives locally in Uppermill and is also a keen musician, when he isn't to be found walking in the local countryside. |  |
| Guillermo Ibanez studied programming for four years and that will stand him in good stead at Inclusive, as he combines the graphic creations of Lee and Mark into the final package. He also has previous experience of programming games for children and of creating websites and multimedia products. Originally from Spain, Guillermo moved to London before escaping the 'big smoke' to find a home in rural Shaw, with his girlfriend Sonia. |  |