Andrea Richards, M.Ed., OTR/L has been a pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT) for 19 years. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Boston University in 1990, where she began to develop her fluency in American Sign Language. She received her Master’s Degree in Deaf Education from Western Maryland College in 1999. She has worked in various settings as an OT, including the St. Agnes Children’s Rehabilitation Center, The New York School for the Deaf (Fanwood), St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf, and the Lexington School for the Deaf all in New York.
She worked a total of 9 years at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, providing direct services to deaf and hard of hearing children, from the ages of 3 months up to 16 years, with a variety of disabilities including autism spectrum disorders, sensory integration disorders, attention deficit disorders, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. She has provided workshops for teachers, staff, parents as well as university students in English as well as in American Sign Language. She was also the moderator of a discussion forum for occupational and physical therapy intervention with deaf and hard of hearing students, named “deafotpt”. She currently works in early intervention as well as school based Occupational Therapy in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.