Being Michelle: Communication Access for Deaf and Disabled Individuals

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Eileen Baker, recipient of a Master’s Degree in Education of the Deaf from Smith College, serves as an educator, consultant and expert witness to industry, education and government agencies. Her professional services have included providing technical assistance to The National Institute of Corrections and The Federal Bureau of Prisons. Expertise is provided in issues pertaining hearing loss of individuals in a correctional environment to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Department of Justice. Her experiences include working directly with deaf and hard of hearing inmates in addition to consulting with state, local and federal corrections agencies across the United States. She has presented workshops nationally and internationally and written articles published in professional literature and authored American Sign Language for Law Enforcement, Corrections Communication and Correctional Health Care Professionals . Several states have utilized her expertise as an expert witness in litigation pertaining to deaf and hard of hearing correctional inmates. Eileen Baker’s professional experience, in addition to having deaf parents and grandparents, provides a greater understanding of this disability while ensuring compliance with federal, state and local mandates specific to equal access to programs and services.

Matt Burke has extensive experience in law enforcement leadership and criminal legal system reform. As Director of Justice Initiatives at Chicago Beyond, he leads efforts to improve the safety, wellness, and dignity for people living and working in jails and prisons nationwide. Matt helps correctional systems implement Chicago Beyond’s Holistic Safety Framework, a human-centered approach focused on creating a safer, healthier, and more rehabilitative correctional system. His work is grounded in collaboration, bringing together system leaders, frontline staff, people incarcerated, and community partners to identify challenges and develop practical solutions. Before joining Chicago Beyond, Matt served as Deputy Director of Litigation for the Chicago Police Department, where he led legal teams, advised on high-profile matters, and supported major policy reforms and Consent Decree compliance. Matt previously spent more than 14 years with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. As Executive Director of Human Resources, he oversaw personnel, workplace safety, and staff wellness efforts for 5,500 employees across more than 20 facilities. As Chief of Staff for the Cook County Department of Corrections, he helped develop and implement comprehensive reforms that ended 40 years of federal oversight over the Cook County Jail.

Mae Thornton Mehra has been producing social justice and impact driven films with her husband and filmmaker, Atin Mehra at Orange Kite Productions for over 15 years. She prides herself on openly creative collaborations between film participants and diverse production teams as she believes that impact begins within the filmmaking process itself. In 2020, Mae and Atin co-founded the nonprofit Thriving Roots Initiative to further their work of social impact documentary filmmaking. Mae is Producer on BEING MICHELLE (2022), a documentary film that is helping to change the way Deaf and Disabled people are treated in social and criminal justice systems in the US and globally. While BEING MICHELLE raises many pertinent issues faced both by Michelle and a large population in the US and globally, our team is passionate about specifically using the film to help ensure the basic human Right to Communication for Deaf and Disabled people in social and criminal justice systems. https://www.thrivingrootsinitiative.org/

Lisa A writer, educator and advocate, Ben focuses on expanding equitable access to higher education for incarcerated students with disabilities. Ben holds degrees in English literature, creative writing, special education, and leadership, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English Literature. His work blends disability advocacy, storytelling, and systems change, with a particular focus on accessibility, prison education, and the power of narrative to challenge stigma and barriers. https://www.