angeet@usdb.org 

Angee Thompson is a parent advisor with the Utah Schools for the Deaf Parent Infant Program. She has dedicated her career to early childhood special education and supporting families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, with a strong focus on early language development and family-centered early intervention.

Angee’s passion for this work began in Eastern Oregon, where she worked as a hearing technician assisting an ear, nose, and throat physician and conducting hearing testing. These early experiences inspired her to pursue a career in communication disorders, deaf education, and early intervention.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders from the University of Utah and a Master of Education in Special Education, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, with an emphasis in Listening and Spoken Language (K–12). Angee also holds Utah State Licensure with an Early Childhood Special Education endorsement, qualifying her to work in early intervention with children from birth to five.

With nearly two decades of experience working with preschool-aged children, including children with hearing loss and multiple disabilities, Angee values partnering with families during their child’s earliest years. She strives to build strong, trusting relationships rooted in respect for each family’s unique background, goals, and learning style. She enjoys coaching families to use their natural environments and daily routines to build language-rich interactions that support communication and long-term success.

aurenr@usdb.org 

Colorado Born and Raised! Lauren had a hearing screening test at one of the first hospitals where she was born in 1995 and discovered that she was deaf. After discovering her deafness, her mother got an ASL book and started learning. Lauren had an early intervention service, however no Deaf Mentor. Her speech pathologist has a deaf child of her own and suggested Lauren’s parents continue to learn sign language along with speech. When she was two years old, her parents enrolled her into Total Communication preschool for three years. Then by Kindergarten to Senior year of High School, She was raised in mainstream schools. She went on an 18 months mission in California, San Fernanado mission, where she did most of her service around deaf people. She came home and lived with her grandparents for a year then moved to Utah in 2017. She attended Utah Valley University for a year and half, then started working at USDB as a Teacher Aide in 2020. Then in late December 2022, Lauren started working as Deaf Mentor. Lauren loves outdoors, however she loves indoors a little bit more. She loves to read, watch movies and TV shows, and go out for a walk.