Dawn Doig – Writer, Audiologist, and EAL Teacher – International School of Ulaanbaatar

“Sound is such an important part of the human experience!” ~ Dawn Doig

Dawn Doig MSc, MEd. spent 23 years as an Audiologist working in places such as Vietnam, UK, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Recently, Dawn earned a Master's degree in Education specializing in Teaching English as a Second Language through The College of New Jersey, Mallorca Campus and has been an EAL teacher for the last four years at the International School of Ulaanbaatar. Dawn is a passionate writer and has published 5 picture books that we discuss in this podcast.  Dawn will be leaving Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia at the end of the 2018 school year and will be moving with her husband, Bruce, to Cameroon (American School of Yaounde) where Dawn will be leading the K-12 ELL program and Bruce with be heading the Technology Integration program.

Her picture books are inspired by her family and the children she has helped give the gift of sound as well as more recently in the classroom helping students learn a new language.

In this iTeachOverseas episode, Dawn provides examples of how the learning environment for kids learning a new language could benefit from the same teaching practices implemented for those students with mild to profound hearing loss.  Dawn offers advice on how to support english language learners in the classroom.

Dawn's Books

You can also order my books directly from the the publisher or through Barnes and Noble.

Tragic Accident – GoFundMe.com/HelpShawnCommunicate

Dawn's brother, Shawn, was in a terrible car accident five years ago. He suffered severe brain injury and has been on a feeding tube since. Shawn has not spoken a word and has only been able to answer simple questions with yes/no cards, but otherwise has had limited communication.

Dawn's mother, Lily Young, recently found out about the Eyegaze Edge eye tracking technology. This device provides access to communication for individuals with different kinds of disabilities, including those who have had traumatic brain injuries. Lily spends hours every day with Shawn and is convinced he ‘is in there', but currently has no way to express what he is thinking, how he is feeling, etc. She is excited about the Eyegaze Edge after watching footage of a woman with a brain injury who was able to communicate with her mother for the first time in 21 years. The funds Shawn receives are only enough to pay for his daily care. The sooner this technology is purchased for Shawn, the sooner he will be given the opportunity to communicate with family once again, including his two teenaged children.