Tony Bonny

A light-skinned male stands smiling and wearing a dark teal long-sleeved shirt. He is wearing grey-rimmed sunglasses. He has a reddish-brown goatee and dark brown curly hair/dreadlocks pulled back in a ponytail. He is holding his left hand up in an A light-skinned male stands smiling and wearing a dark teal long-sleeved shirt. He is wearing grey-rimmed sunglasses. He has a reddish-brown goatee and dark brown curly hair/dreadlocks pulled back in a ponytail. He is holding his left hand up in an "ILY" hand shape with light blue and silver painted nails. Behind him opens up a valley in Yellowstone National Park dotted with thickets of evergreen trees and an iridescent hot spring showing shades of orange, green, and blue (Grand Prismatic Spring). The sky is very blue and filled with fluffy clouds.
Tony is a male Chicano interpreter currently residing in northern Utah. Coming from southern California as a CODA immersed in the Deaf community, Tony is passionate about working with and serving the Deaf, DeafBlind, and other communities through his interpreting/voice narration work. While he works full time in the Deaf Education setting, Tony is always looking for opportunities to support local and national communities in a variety of ways outside of his 9-5. In his free time, Tony loves a wide variety of hobbies from reading, board gaming, sports, hiking and camping, and most of all- time with his spouse and German Shepherd. 
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He/Him/His

Jerrin George

Jerrin, an Indian Deaf sighted Nonbinary person with a short black beard, is in a body of water with Yash, Maria, and Ruby, the dolphin, on a sunny day. Jerrin is wearing a tan straw hat, black sunglasses, and a blue vest. Yash, a DeafBlind Queer Latina, with brown hair pulled back into a bun with half rows of twists held by colored rubber bands, is wearing dark blue glasses, a blue long sleeve shirt, and a blue vest. Maria, a Deaf sighted Latina, with black hair pulled back into a bun, is wearing black glasses, a teal shirt with Aztec patterned sleeves, and a blue vest. Jerrin is signing tactically into Yash's hand. Yash is smiling and holding onto her vest with her other hand. Maria is greeting Ruby who is splashing water at her.Jerrin, an Indian Deaf sighted Nonbinary person with a short black beard, is in a body of water with Yash, Maria, and Ruby, the dolphin, on a sunny day. Jerrin is wearing a tan straw hat, black sunglasses, and a blue vest. Yash, a DeafBlind Queer Latina, with brown hair pulled back into a bun with half rows of twists held by colored rubber bands, is wearing dark blue glasses, a blue long sleeve shirt, and a blue vest. Maria, a Deaf sighted Latina, with black hair pulled back into a bun, is wearing black glasses, a teal shirt with Aztec patterned sleeves, and a blue vest. Jerrin is signing tactically into Yash's hand. Yash is smiling and holding onto her vest with her other hand. Maria is greeting Ruby who is splashing water at her.
Jerrin George (they/he) is deaf, queer, nonbinary, and Indian person. He has been an interpreter for the past nine years. Jerrin started his career in interpreting as a part-time designated interpreter for a DeafBlind employee. Shortly after, he joined the Southern California Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf as the Webmaster and the Deaf Member-at-Large for seven years. Jerrin is involved with many projects geared towards supporting and cultivating more brown and black Deaf interpreters within the field. He presently works as a translator and a sign language interpreter in Washington, DC. When Jerrin’s not working, he’s cooking up a storm, immersing himself in a book, or escaping to another adventure. Jerrin is a member of the first cohort at DBI (now known as PLI) and is part of the PLI’s Protactile to English translation team.

Mitch Holaly

A white male wearing a zip-up polo shirt is fully concentrated as he interpretes into protactile on the chest of a person seated across from him. A third person is in contact and watches the interaction. All three are wearing facemasks. A white male wearing a zip-up polo shirt is fully concentrated as he interpretes into protactile on the chest of a person seated across from him. A third person is in contact and watches the interaction. All three are wearing facemasks.
Mitch Holaly (BEI Master & NIC) has had the privilege of being a community interpreter based in Flint, Michigan since 2010. He is a graduate of the Lansing Community College Interpreter Training Program and has a BA from Michigan State University (Go Green!). In 2020, he earned a Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity at St. Catherine University, publishing his mixed-methods research entitled Interpreting with DeafBlind People in Michigan. It is with deep gratitude that Mitch attended the 2019 DeafBlind Interpreting Institute housed at Western Oregon University and continues to work within a community of Protactile language users. This includes voice narration and conavigation work with PLI.  A father of three, Mitch especially enjoys time in meditation, being out in the garden and relaxing at the lake with family and friends.

Krystal Sanders

Krystal Sanders, a white woman with brown hair pulled back in a bun. She has black and blue glasses. She is wearing a long-sleeved black sweater. She smiles widely as her hand is on Jelica’s back, which is turned from the camera. Jelica is conversing with Heather Holmes in Protactile; Heather is seen laughing. (If can be seen in the cropped photo). They are in a meeting room with light grey walls and white trimming.Krystal Sanders, a white woman with brown hair pulled back in a bun. She has black and blue glasses. She is wearing a long-sleeved black sweater. She smiles widely as her hand is on Jelica’s back, which is turned from the camera. Jelica is conversing with Heather Holmes in Protactile; Heather is seen laughing. (If can be seen in the cropped photo). They are in a meeting room with light grey walls and white trimming.
Krystal Sanders is a Deaf white woman who is still navigating life. A Kansas native, she became a CDI in 2015 and, not long after, moved her family to Seattle, Washington, for a job. She found a great community of DeafBlind members; she became involved and dived in to learn more about Protactile. These days Krystal is now in Washington DC to pursue her lifelong dream of being a student at Gallaudet University. ​

ROBERT T. SIRVAGE

Robert signingRobert signing
DeafBlind from agricultural community just north of St. Lawrence river.  Throughout his career as an academic, experiment with methodologies as way to document sensory experience and interaction within built environment is his primary interest.  This led to some of work with various capturing technologies such as camera and GoPro as way to showcase tactile-based interaction.
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