Teena Fannin

Teena was born deaf.  She’s the 6th generation of deaf people in her family.  Her mother is an atypical language user.  As a result, Teena has learned to communicate in diverse ways.  Teena graduated from Kentucky School for the Deaf.  She graduated with an associate degree in criminal justice from Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) in 2004.  She graduated from Gallaudet University with a bachelor’s degree in Deaf Studies in 2022.  She plans to return for her master’s degree in ASL teaching in summer 2025.  She has certifications in Communication, Heritage Humanities, and Behavioral Social Sciences.  She is currently working on getting her CDI and working toward joining ASLTA in the future.  She worked as a mentor for Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind (AIDB).   

Teena took a break between 2004-2018 to raise her two daughters as a single mother.  Her oldest daughter is deaf, and her youngest daughter is CODA. Teena has worked for Lawrence County School Board on and off since 1995.  She taught sign language during summer programs.  Later, she started teaching homeschoolers.  In 2018, She was hired as a one on one assistant for a deaf child who experienced language deprivation.  Now, she teaches deaf children in the district who need support acquiring language or want to learn ASL under supervision of a DHH person.    

She is qualified to mentor an interpreter in Mental Health, Healthcare – Basic, K-12 and Special Education, Cultural Responsiveness, and Atypical Language.  She took a workshop under AIDB, after which she was hired to work with a mentee. She immediately loved the job. It’s the greatest way to be able to help a wide range of new interpreters. It also helps break the ice and build their confidence. She also attended virtual 2024 Certified Deaf Mentor Training, and worked under Educational Board as Therapeutic Specialists Observation/itinerant deaf interpreter.  

What does Teena like to do on her free time? She loves to read, travel, and chat with her childhood besties of 35 years and her college besties of 17 years. She also loves spending time with her kids and grandkids.