She crafted several proposals that were accepted by the local government, including adding brighter lights on her street, and audio pedestrian signals in front of city hall, among others.
REVERE, MA, September 01, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Olivia Ann Ferrante has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than 50 years of excellence as an educator, Ms. Ferrante served her community as a certified history teacher and certified teacher of the blind. Prior to embarking upon her professional journey, she earned a Bachelor of Arts from Regis College in 1970 and a Master of Education from Boston College in 1971. To further her expertise in the field, she completed postgraduate coursework at Middlebury College in 1974, at Boston College in 1981 and at Lesley University in 1982.
Considered legally blind herself, Ms. Ferrante realized that many educators were underequipped to accommodate students with disabilities, and a lack of teachers who were qualified to work with visually impaired children in particular. She decided to become a teacher to help address this unfulfilled need. She also wanted to advocate for the utilization and instruction of braille, which can be difficult for an adult learner as they need to learn not only the alphabet but also 200 abbreviations. This leads many sighted teachers to rely on audio instead, concluding that braille is impractical to teach despite its benefits for visually impaired individuals.
Following her educational accomplishments and driven to improve the educational landscape for visually impaired people, Ms. Ferrante began her career as the chairman of the braille department for the National Braille Press in 1971 until becoming a traveling teacher for the visually impaired with the special needs department of Revere High School and over 50 other schools in 1974. After retiring from this position in 1992, she began her present role on the Steven J. Rich Scholarship Committee in 1993. She has simultaneously been a consultant for the Revere PTA since 1984.
During her career, Ms. Ferrante was featured several times in the Revere Journal and was in a radio interview for the Turning Point Radio Station. She has also contributed articles to numerous professional journals, lending her expertise as a teacher for visually impaired students. She crafted several proposals that were accepted by the local government, including adding brighter lights on her street, audio pedestrian signals in front of city hall, a police sub-station in her neighborhood and improving accessibility for individuals with special needs at the local movie theater.
Although she is presently retired, Ms. Ferrante continues her work as a civil advocate in the Revere, Massachusetts, area. She has volunteered with the Animal Umbrella cat shelter since 2003 and has been a publicist for Catholic Daughters of the Americas (SHARE) since 1995. Additionally, she is a lecturer for the Revere Commission on Disabilities, a mentor for the Braille Institute of America and a sponsor for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. She serves as a member of the mobility advisory board for the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and is a member of the local Catholic League, Historic Massachusetts, the Peregrine Fund and the Center for Marine Preservation. She is also an active member of the Arts Council Coop, serves as an access monitor for the Massachusetts Office on Disability and volunteers as a mentor for the Vision Foundation.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #