Carissa Martos holds an English B.A. from the University of California in Berkeley, and is mother to, and advocate for, two children with special needs. She spends much of her time in the offices of her kids' doctors and therapists, or wading through evaluations. She maintains numerous blogs, and regularly contributes to others. The Associate Director for the Signing Time Academy in the Northwest, she's also works for the nonprofit Signing Time Foundation as their Academy Outreach Coordinator, and is pursuing her ASL interpreting certificate at Portland Community College.