Julie Durando

Julie Durando is the director of the National Center on Deafblindness. Since 2005, she has served in multiple roles on grant-funded projects related to the provision of technical assistance and training for educators of students who are deafblind or have other types of extensive support needs. For 13 years, at the Virginia Commonwealth University Partnership for People with Disabilities, she was a principal investigator and project director overseeing these types of grants, including the Virginia Project for Children and Young Adults with Deaf-Blindness.

Dr. Durando has a Doctor of Education in Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, a Master’s of Education in Exceptional Education from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Intellectual Disabilities and Visual Impairments (double major) from Florida State University.

She began her career in special education as a teacher in Volusia County, Florida. Her extensive experience as a classroom teacher and itinerant teacher formed the foundation and inspiration for her subsequent roles on the Virginia Deafblind Project and the National Center on Deafblindness.

Dr. Durando has served on numerous workgroups and advisory boards and was previously a mentor for the National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities Mentorship Program and chair of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Multiple Disabilities and Deafblind Division 3.