Adam Stone

Adam, the previous DeafDC manager, now is a proud resident of San Francisco. His current activity is furiously working on mapping S.F. neighborhoods to D.C. neighborhoods so anyone who visits the Bay Area will know where "that area that's like Georgetown back home" is. E-Mail Adam Stone!

Allison Kaftan

Allison is a doctoral student in English literature at the George Washington University and teaches English at Gallaudet. When she's not busy flying into some intellectual rage or other, she fills her days avoiding any and all forms of labor by way of playing with her family, reading, and traveling. She likes squirrels and much prefers them over the company of spiders. E-Mail Allison Kaftan!

Ben Moore

Ben Moore recently graduated from college and is at the crossroads of life. E-Mail Ben Moore!

Bobby Cox

Incubated in Utah, raised in California, finished in Washington State, Bobby graduated from RIT in 2003. After a brief stint at Gallaudet University, he is employed at Corporate Executive Board as a technology manager. E-Mail Bobby Cox!

Chris and Allison Kaftan

Chris and Allison Kaftan will sometimes write a joint article together. Please view their individual profiles to learn more about Chris and Allison. E-Mail Chris and Allison Kaftan!

Chris Heuer

Christopher Jon Heuer is the author of All Your Parts Intact: Poems and the upcoming Bug (due out this fall from Gallaudet University Press). He teaches English and is a rabid Battlestar Galactica fan (the ultra-cool remake, not the campy 1970s original). He spends much of his time competing with his wife Amy for possession of their household's sole computer, which they (cough) share as a conscientious answer to the global warming crisis. Otherwise they would have just bought two. E-Mail Chris Heuer!

Chris Kaftan

Originally from the hippie town of Woodstock, New York, Chris moved to the DC area 12 years ago, graduating from the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. Chris earned his bachelor's in secondary education and history and masters' in deaf education from Gallaudet University. He is a teacher at the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick. While not teaching, Chris can be found at home reading books, playing with his daughter, or enjoying some quiet time with his wife. E-Mail Chris Kaftan!

David Evans

Overeducated, over-opinionated, underemployed white male with a love of good conversation and fellowship seeking captive online audience willing to listen to rants, raves, opinions, suggestions, and bemused observations about Deaf/deaf issues, movies, politics, and life in general. Must tolerate lame puns, rambling threads, occasional non-sequiturs, attempts at wittiness, and mangled grammar from time to time. In exchange for audience attention, will provide pedantic commentary at author's discretion and on author's timetable. E-Mail David Evans!

David Stuckless

David Stuckless, a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), identical twin that looks a little bit different than his brother, and an Interpreter (some days). He's also the proud father of a 2 (now 3) year old son, a recent transplant in the area (Gosh, it's been a year?), photography buff, and super-expensive cigar connoisseur, and he now lives in uppity part of Bethesda, MD. E-Mail David Stuckless!

Erin Casler

A voracious reader, Erin has an incredible collection of post-colonial and feminist theory. It compliments the array of architectural tchotchkes on her shelves. She also conceals an addiction to buying art supplies and abandoning them to their pristine states. Erin also has a passion for cooking, heirloom tomatos, and farmer's markets. Erin's favorite celebrity cook is Jamie Oliver but he never seems to be on the Food Network just when she needs him. When not cooking, reading or fondling paintbrushes, Erin can be found on the pitch rucking, mauling and tackling with the Maryland Stingers. E-Mail Erin Casler!

Guest Blogger

Every once in a while, we like having a guest blogger on DeafDC.com. It shakes things up a little. If you're interested in writing something for us, please follow the link: E-Mail Guest Blogger!

Josh Allmann

Josh is from Southern California, studies Computer Science at RIT in New York, and is living in DC on internship with BayFirst Solutions, LLC. His pleasures are simple -- good weather, good food & drink, good books will all hit the spot for him. That being said, you haven't seen him excited until he talks about some obscure facet of Computer Science. When not writing awesome programs (awesome to him, and usually no one else), he's probably playing water polo. Or wishing he could play more water polo. E-Mail Josh Allmann!

Josh Mendelsohn

By day, Josh is a Federal employee and a father to two precious daughters aged 3 and 1. By night, he has an alter ego: Mr. Proud Geek! Josh is turning his geekiness (his significant other calls it an obsession!) to good use by sharing tech or Internet tips of interest to deaf DC-area residents. Although he calls suburban Maryland his true home, he has also lived in San Francisco as a little tyke, Los Angeles where he got his bachelor's and graduate degrees, and Alaska where he was a dismal failure at trying to be a big brawny pioneer boy. E-Mail Josh Mendelsohn!

Julie Hochgesang

Born in New Jersey, grew up north of Chicago, went to college in Southern California, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, and now a graduate student in linguistics at Gallaudet. Grew up in mainstreamed schools and has a hearing family but dares to consider herself culturally Deaf. Has a house full of books, four cats, thirteen tattoos, and a love for real conversation. E-Mail Julie Hochgesang!

Liz Stone

Liz Stone is a senior program associate with Vera Institute of Justice, a non-profit organization that works closely with the leaders in government and civil society to improve services people rely on safety and justice. This job works directly with the Department of Justice: Office on Violence Against Women. www.accessingsafety.org. E-Mail Liz Stone!

Oscar Ocuto

Oscar, or Luke as many of his close friends call him, works at Gallaudet's Office of Sports Information in the Department of Athletics, where he directs the implementation of all media/public relations activities. His Hispanic-Italian heritage prompts him to sample the amazing varieties of food that DC has to offer. He invites you for a peek into the chaos of his mind! Feel free to snack on these tidbits and proffer rants/reviews. He'll discuss random thoughts (depending on the time of day) & whatnot. Buen provecho! E-Mail Oscar Ocuto!

Rob Rice

Rob is President and Managing Partner of BayFirst Solutions LLC, a management and technology consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Prior to BayFirst, Rob was a technology consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Booz Allen Hamilton. Rob has earned BS and MBA degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). During his free time, Rob enjoys travel, snowboarding, biking, reading and word games. Rob lives in DuPont Circle in the heart of Washington, DC. E-Mail Rob Rice!

Sara Stallard

Sara loves art, books, cats, and urban landscapes. As an undergraduate, she studied graphic design and English literature. As a graduate student, Sara is now studying curricular design and English as a Second Language. When she's not reading, writing or challenging her friends to Scrabble, Sara can be found prowling around DC's Eastern Market in search of the perfect cup of coffee (sugar and cream, please). She also enjoys dancing and gardening. E-Mail Sara Stallard!

Shane Feldman

A lifelong native of Montgomery County, this DeafDC.com manager worked at the National Association of the Deaf for six years before joining BayFirst as a consultant then Viable as a Business Development Associate. If you do not want to discuss issues for what could become an eternity, it is strongly advised that you not engage this RIT graduate in a conversation about football, cueing, the Middle East, or captioning. In his spare time, Shane is busy blowing raspberries on his daughter's belly button and living up (rather fruitlessly) to his wife's expectations. E-Mail Shane Feldman!

Swetha Amruthur

The hearing cousin of 2 deaf sisters, Swetha is quite well known for her fashion flair, designing & writing skills and most of all her histrionics. Never the one to be quiet, she expresses herself come hell or high water (one expression she never understood, a case of the lesser of the two evils?) and spends her time shopping, reading, writing, shopping and more shopping. Swetha currently works as a financial analyst with a large government contractor outside of Washington, holds a degree in Economics from Concordia University in Montreal and is pursuing her CPA certification. Living in the backwaters of Burke, Virginia, Swetha is the epitome of "A City Girl Trapped in Hicksville". E-Mail Swetha Amruthur!

Teresa Blankmeyer Burke

A semi-transplanted westerner, Teresa comes to Washington DC by way of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where downtown traffic jams do not exist and green chile is served at every restaurant. As a hard of hearing child, Teresa spent a lot of time asking questions and watching what everyone else was doing so that she could infer what she was supposed to do. Somehow this led to her current gig as a philosopher, a profession where people are actually paid to ask questions and ruminate endlessly on answers. She is presently writing a dissertation on bioethics and the deaf community that focuses on the ethics of genetic technology. When she is not writing (or even when she is) Teresa can be found hiking along the Anacostia River wetlands or the Rio Grande bosque trail, depending on what day of the week it is. E-Mail Teresa Blankmeyer Burke!

Vikki Porter

Vikki Porter was born in Washington DC and raised in the wilds of Silver Spring, MD. A product of the Montgomery County Public School System, she is well-versed in the art of discovering strange (read: ethnic) food, speedreading fascinating books or magazines, and navigating a household full of testosterones. But don't dare ask her to go shopping! In her previous job, Vikki was the Visual Marketing Specialist at the National Association of the Deaf. Nowadays, she spends time diving into her work as a Production Coordinator/Artist at an advertising agency in downtown DC. E-Mail Vikki Porter!