Leslie Kelly exhibits a passion for advocating for individuals with hearing loss and for educating the community about people with disabilities every day.
As the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist at the Center for Independent Living of South Central Pennsylvania, Kelly works with the Deaf Action Awareness Program to provide advocacy, peer counseling, information, referral services, and independent living skills training to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. She has made numerous presentations to educate the community on communication problems, attitude barriers and legal obligations as well as provided ASL training.
Leslie has been active with the local group “Celebrate Diversity” which provides an opportunity for junior high school students to learn what its like to live with a disability. She recently organized a Diversity Panel through Saint Francis University where she taught the basic ASL alphabet to over 100 elementary and junior high students.
In 2011, Leslie founded “Service Paws of Central PA” to help individuals with service dogs. She has served on the Pennsylvania Telephone Relay Service Advisory Board, and the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumer’s Association Developmental Disabilities Council. Leslie is also a member of National Association for the Deaf, American Sign Language Teachers Association, and the Armed Forces Mothers (Squad 41). In 2012, Leslie was nominated for the Barbara Dean Johnson Award from the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumer’s Association.
Leslie instills hope and encourages faith that wellness can happen can happen for everyone. Please join me in congratulating Hamilton Relay’s 2013 Better Hearing and Speech Month Community Leader Leslie Kelly.
About Hamilton Relay
Hamilton Relay provides contracted Telecommunications Relay and/or Captioned Telephone services to 16 states and the Island of Saipan, and is a provider of Internet-based Captioned Telephone services nationwide. More information is available at hamiltonrelay.com.