Andrea Marwah

Andrea Marwah received her BA degree in Psychology from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Since her daughter was diagnosed with hearing loss in 2002, she has taken a special interest in educating parents and professionals on matters concerning ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act), IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) - special education rights, and advocacy for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Andrea presents both locally and nationally on matters pertaining to advocacy and IDEA; deafness/hearing loss when combined with other disabilities; the impact of deafness/hearing loss; impact of deafness on socialization/Theory of Mind and many other topics surrounding parenting and working with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. She works for the Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois School for the Deaf as an outreach trainer and consultant for families and professionals who work with children who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired or deaf-blind. Andrea is a parent advocate supporting families in Illinois to ensure that their children receive the appropriate support and services in school. She also works closely with the IL Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program) IL EHDI). Andrea is the IDEA liaison for the IL Guide By Your Side Program, is a national trainer for the Hands & Voices ASTra Training Program and a member of the Hands & Voices speakers bureau. She sits on numerous committees both locally and nationally. Andrea also served for six years on the Advisory Commission on Disabilities in her hometown of Naperville, where she lives with her husband Ajay. They have three young adult children, Samantha, Julia and Andrew.