Donna Kempf has been an active part of the deaf community for over 20 years. She holds the following certifications: NIC - National Interpreter Certification, EIPA Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment Certification and RID Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf member. Donna is also a bio/adoptive/foster mom and has many years of experience in the field of trauma informed care.

Donna’s long history and vast experience in the Deaf community allows a unique perspective within the foster community. She will be sharing her story about raising deaf and hearing kids in the same household as well as sharing how ASL can reduce frustration in non-verbal kids of all ages.

Some of the topics Donna will be discussing are as follows: 

• The benefits of ASL (age of accessibility-6mos, instant communication, using both sides of the brain, deaf/nonverbal/autistic/pre lingual)

• Myths

• Behaviors that accompany communication break down