As a young girl, Maureen Gelardi learned basic finger spelling from a deaf mailman in her mother’s service program for senior citizens. “I loved the fact that I could speak to him,” Gelardi says of an experience that would foreshadow her career.
Now a certified American Sign Language interpreter, Gelardi uses her sign language skills and positive attitude to aid disabled students. “I love having the ability to talk to people whom lots of other people can’t talk to,” Gelardi says.
Although drawn to sign language since childhood, the office coordinator for Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) was a professional hairstylist for 10 years before becoming an interpreter. When she moved to San Diego with her family in 1989, Gelardi decided to take two sign language courses at a community college while her daughter Witley was at school.
Returning to Michigan a few years later, Gelardi enrolled in Flint’s C.S. Mott Community College Interpreter Training Program, earning an associate’s degree in applied sciences after three years. Before joining SSWD in January 2007, Gelardi worked for Flint’s Communication Access Center as a freelance interpreter in classrooms, for businesses and at Chrysler car shows.
While she enjoys the small town atmosphere of South Lyon, where she lives with her two children and husband Jim, activities at work and on campus keep her busy. “I’m a doer,” she says. “I don’t like to sit around.”
With SSWD, Gelardi interacts with students of various abilities. She makes certain that disabled students have proper verification for special needs in the classroom and facilitates the smooth operation of the office by ordering supplies, ensuring students are treated properly and updating the Web site, among various other responsibilities. She also serves as the Wellness Champion for her department.
Gelardi describes herself as a project finder. “I create projects for myself to read, learn different technologies and get smarter,” she says. She recently helped the University acquire new campus videophones, which she says facilitated communication between hearing impaired students, faculty members, staff and parents.
Outside of the office Gelardi is a member of the Parking and Transportation Team of VOICES of the Staff and an alternate for the Core Team of VOICES. With other VOICES members, she finds parking alternatives for staff members on campus. She also is on the Student Affairs Programming Council, which gives money to student organizations for campus events. “I have my hands in a lot of different areas,” Gelardi says.
Despite Gelardi’s full schedule, her family comes first. “My kids are my world,” she says. Her son Donny is in eighth grade and Witley is a senior in high school. Gelardi attends all of her kids’ athletic and school events and makes them her first priority. “Whatever they do, I do,” she says.
Gelardi’s energy and passion for communicating keep her going strong. Whether assisting disabled students or finding cheaper parking for staff, Gelardi maintains her positive attitude. “I try to make everything I do interesting,” she says. “I can think of the upside of everything.”
The weekly Spotlight features staff members at the University. To nominate a candidate, please contact the Record staff at [email protected].
