Ann Edwards, CEO and Founder of Edwards Orton-Gillingham
Ann Edwards is an Accredited Training Fellow of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. She’s also an IDA Dyslexia Therapist, a Certified Master Trainer with OG International, and a Licensed Reading Specialist. Ms. Edwards founded Edwards Orton-Gillingham in 2010 (formerly Literacy for Life) with the goal of providing quality training to teachersand dyslexia educators in New York City. The business is entirely women-owned and operated.
Helping people learn to read has always been important to Ms. Edwards. As a mother of six, she understands firsthand what it takes to help young individuals to reach their full potential in life.
Ms. Edwards went back to school at 42, obtaining a Master’s degree in Literacy. She soon realized that college had not adequately prepared her for the real-life reading struggles her students faced. So, she was determined to find a different and more effective way to teach students and individuals with dyslexia the science of reading.
She trained for 12 years to become a fellow (the highest level of Orton-Gillingham certification one can hold) at the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. In the years following, Ms. Edwards has trained thousands of teachers from around the world in the Orton-Gillingham Approach. 98% of the trainees who opt for certification through AOGPE achieve it, and this success has led her to become an accredited training fellow at the Classroom Educator, Associate, and Certified levels.
Ms. Edwards has been an Educational Therapist within the field of dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities for the past 25 years. Previously, she sat on the board of directors for The Academy of Orton-Gillingham for nine years and currently serves as a private consultant for private, public, and charter schools throughout New York.
Some of the schools she works directly with are the Stephen Gaynor School in Manhattan, a school specifically for students with learning disabilities (Accredited by AOGPE and IDA) and Bridge Prep Charter School, the first public school in the United States designed for students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences. Ms. Edwards also frequently speaks at dyslexia conferences where world-recognized experts in the field of dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities and differences convene.
Jillian Edwards, Programmer Director
Jillian Edwards is a Certified Dyslexia Interventionist, Certified Structured Literacy™ Instructor, and member of The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators.
Besides using her extensive background in the Orton-Gillingham Approach to educate individuals with language-based learning needs and dyslexia, she also supports teaching teams in both public and charter schools.
Jillian takes an active role in almost all areas of Edwards Orton-Gillingham. She secures school contracts, supports teachers and administrators, creates teacher resources, and organizesthe Edwards Orton-Gillingham online and in-person certification and practicum programs.
Jillian has her Master’s Degree in Education as well as an advanced degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL). She plans to use her understanding of multilingual communities along with her long-standing knowledge of Orton-Gillingham to develop more equitable instructional practices.
She’s also an active member of The TESOL International Association, The National Association for Special Education, The LGBTQ Center, The Human Rights Campaign, and No Kid Hungry.
Sharon Sudman-O’Neill, Head Trainer
Sharon O’Neill is a Fellow-in-Training (FIT/AOGPE), a Certified Dyslexia Therapist, and an Applied Behavior Analyst.
Throughout her extensive career within the New York City Public School system, she’s taught in both ESL and Inclusion classrooms. She also served as Educational Director of Reach for the Stars Learning Center and Ezra Ha Tzvi Center, both of which serve individuals on the autism spectrum and those with developmental learning disabilities. Currently, Sharon is the Head Trainer at Edwards Orton-Gillingham where she provides training and support within the NYCDOE.
For the past 10 years, Sharon has been working with individuals from kindergarten to adulthood diagnosed with dyslexia and other language-based learning difficulties using the Orton-Gillingham Approach. She also provides support to both educators and students in the public schools associated with this approach.
Kathleen Edwards, CCC-SLP
Kathleen is a New York State certified Speech-Language Pathologist with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Hunter College. She has a Certificate of Clinical Competence from The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) as well as a Teacher of the Speech and Language Disabled (TSSLD) certificate.
With over 14 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist in a wide range of settings, she’s one of Edwards Orton-Gillingham’s most versatile clinicians. She has experience working in Early Intervention, with preschool children through CPSE, in an outpatient clinic with both adults and children, and with a hospital pediatric outpatient department.
Kathleen has worked with children from birth to 21 years of age with an expansive range of speech-language difficulties, including articulation/phonological delays, receptive/expressive language delays/disorders, fluency disorders, reading, comprehension and writing remediation, voice disorders, feeding delays/disorders, delays in play/social interaction, and autism spectrum disorders.
She’s further trained as an Orton-Gillingham reading specialist with over 60 hours of training and eight years of experience as an Orton-Gillingham tutor with school-age children. Her Orton-Gillingham tutoring is centered around the individual needs of her students. She approaches reading instruction in a way that allows children to gain confidence in their abilities and become successful readers.