About this Catalog

Sarah Grimm

By day, she works as a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in preschool early intervention (and holds additional certifications in Deafblindness and Reading) so it's safe to say books and language are kind of her thing. She also serves as Chair of the Friends of the Hearing Center at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, which is how this whole project got started. As the lead of the literacy initiative, she has driven the D/HH/DB Book Catalog from the ground up, sourcing and researching titles, building out the catalog data, coordinating the volunteer team, and keeping the whole project moving forward. Her favorite section of the catalog is the picture books, and she's been known to spend an absurd amount of time at local bookshops flipping through shelves looking for new additions. When she's not hunting for the next great read, you'll probably find her deep in a fantasy novel (ideally one with cute dragons and plenty of witty banter).

Jessica Lampert

Jessica is the Educational Liaison for the Hearing Center at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. She has over 10 years of experience working with children with hearing loss. Jessica has provided services through early intervention, in the preschool setting, K–12, and taught American Sign Language at the University of Texas. She works closely with families and providers to maximize patients' linguistic and educational progress. Jessica believes in the power of representation and has always made it a point to ensure every patient feels included and seen across all the Hearing Center programs. She supports the Literacy Initiative in many ways. She played a key role in helping the hard copy of the D/HH/DB catalog come to life as a website and maintains the physical library of books that are given to patients when they come for their appointments.

Jeannine Watson

Jeannine is a Teacher of the Deaf working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in grades K–12. She is passionate about literacy, language access, and helping students build strong connections to reading through meaningful and authentic representation in books. Through her work with students, families, and school teams, she has seen firsthand how important it is for children to have access to stories that reflect a wide range of Deaf experiences and communication styles. She believes books play an important role in helping children see themselves, understand others, and build meaningful connections through stories. She is especially interested in helping educators and families find engaging books that support language development, identity, inclusion, and a lifelong love of reading for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and teens. As part of the DHH book catalog project, Jeannine has helped review and organize titles with a focus on quality, accessibility, and representation.

Lauren Pier

Lauren is a speech-language pathologist and certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS Cert. AVT) who works with children and adults in a private practice setting. Her experience spans both clinical and educational environments, with a focus on the re/habilitation of auditory skills, spoken language, communication, and literacy development. An avid reader, Lauren appreciates the power of books to educate, inspire, and foster meaningful connections. As a member of the Literacy Committee, Lauren enjoys helping families, educators, and professionals discover engaging, inclusive books that reflect a variety of experiences. Through her work, she has seen the impact that representation in literature can have on readers and their families. One of her favorite committee activities is participating in the annual Book Fair, where she enjoys learning about readers' interests and recommending books that support connection, identity, and a love of reading. Lauren looks forward to continuing to discover and share stories that resonate with children and families.