About Us
The Easterseals Arkansas Outreach Program and Technology Services (esOPTS), in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education- Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Special Education Unit is committed to improving educational results for students with disabilities. esOPTS consultants represent a multidisciplinary team of leaders in their respective fields and include:
- Masters level special educators
- Curriculum and Instruction Specialists
- Licensed special education administrators
- Board Certified Behavior Analyst
- Nationally Board Certified Teacher
- Licensed psychological examiner
- RESNA certified Assistive Technology Professional
- Certified Brain Injury Specialists
- State licensed and nationally board-certified occupational therapists
- State licensed and nationally certified speech-language pathologists
Through capacity-building efforts, the esOPTS consultants work with teams statewide by providing professional development opportunities, mentoring, onsite or remote consultation, and coaching. In addition to addressing student-specific needs through the CIRCUIT referral process, they also provide targeted assistance to districts interested in developing sustainable programs for all students. This targeted assistance focuses on the use of high leverage practices through continuous cycles of improvement. The esOPTS website offers a statewide short term loan program which enables districts to trial a variety of assistive technologies, evaluations, and curricula.
Our Office
Contact:
Phone: +1 (501) 227-3770
Email: outreachprogram@eastersealsar.com
Address:
Easterseals Arkansas
Outreach Program
3724 Woodland Heights Road
Little Rock, AR 72212
Our Team
Throughout her 35+ years of experience, Nancy has worked in a variety of settings that offered her extensive opportunities for training and experience in the areas of assistive technology, particularly in augmentative and alternative communication. Nancy previously served as a speech-language pathology consultant with Outreach, coordinator of the Arkansas Centers for Computer Access and Augmentative and Alternative Communication through the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act (Tech Act) of 1988, and as therapy coordinator and speech-language pathologist at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center. She has extensive training and experience in the areas of augmentative communication, assistive technology and autism and has spoken locally, nationally and internationally on these topics. She is a STAR (Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research) certified implementer and coach.
Lory Greer, M.S., L.P.E., has served as a Licensed Psychological Examiner at Easterseals Outreach for 24 years. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education/Early Childhood from Arkansas State University and was a kindergarten/first-grade teacher before earning a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Central Arkansas. Upon graduation and completion of licensure requirements, she joined the Easterseals Outreach team. She provides psychoeducational evaluations and evaluations to determine eligibility for autism for educational placement and identification and classroom considerations for selectively mute children. She is licensed by the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Psychology and is a National Association of School Psychologists member. Lory strives to provide evaluations that spotlight students’ areas of strength and provide school teams with information, suggestions, and support in serving children with differing abilities and learning styles. Lory enjoys traveling the state and visiting classrooms in various locations. She always strives to provide evaluations that meet needed criteria for educational services and help educators gain insight into how a student learns and what can be done to enhance their classroom experience.
Gretchen Hicks, M.S., CCC-SLP has been a speech-language pathologist for over 25 years. She received her BS from Centenary College and MS from UALR/UAMS. Gretchen has worked with children and adults in settings including an acute care hospital, university clinic and public schools but her favorite work setting was ACamp, a summer camp for kids with autism. Gretchen was the 1997 recipient of ASHA’s Louis DiCarlo Award for Clinical Achievement for her early work with telemedicine. She has presented at conferences and workshops in locations from Harrison, AR to Hamburg, Germany. She also holds a Special Education Director certification.
Jessica (Krug) Barnett, M.S.,OTR/L, ATP, CBIS is a consultant for Easterseals Outreach Program and Technology Services. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Master of Science degree, is registered by the National Board of Certification for Occupational Therapy, and licensed by the Arkansas State Medical Board. Jessica has advanced practice certifications which include being recognized as an Assistive Technology Practitioner by the Rehabilitative Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America as well as a Brain Injury Specialist by the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists.
While Jessica has experience working in a variety of settings, she has always had a passion for school-based therapy. She transitioned from her role as a school-based therapist to her current role as a consultant with esOPTS in November of 2019. As an esOPTS consultant, she has supported other educational professionals through her contributions to the short-term loan program, development of professional learning opportunities related to school-based therapy and assistive technology, assisted with the development and publishing of the Guidance for School-Based Occupational Therapy in Arkansas Public Schools, served on the Arkansas School-Based Therapy Conference leadership committee, and her role in the Assistive Technology Project, Related-Service Project and CIRCUIT.
Jessica is a member of the Arkansas Occupational Therapy Association in which she serves as the chair for the school-based therapy committee. Jessica is an active member of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Council for Exceptional Children, and the Rehabilitative Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. She also represents Arkansas in multiple state and national communities of practice; State Leaders of Assistive Technology in Education, Occupational Therapy’s Role in School Mental Health, ESSA OT Advocacy Network, and the Arkansas Related-Services CoP.
In her free time, Jessica enjoys waterskiing, hiking, off-roading, and spending time with her daughters, Sophie (14) and Mattie Grace (8).
Caryn Allison, M.Ed. is a special education consultant with Easterseals Outreach Program and Technology Services. She holds Master’s degrees in special education as well as curriculum and instruction from Drury University, and continued her education in applied behavior analysis at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to coming on board at Outreach, Caryn worked as a behavior support specialist for DESE. She has experience both as a paraprofessional and a self-contained teacher for students with severe intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and emotional disturbance. She has taught university courses on special education and applied behavior analysis at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, most recently at Henderson State University. In addition, she has supervised pre-service student teachers, conducted applied research in classrooms, and has published several peer-reviewed articles and contributed to textbooks in the field. She was put on this earth to help teachers help kids! She recently married her high school sweetheart and loves hanging out with her beautiful shelter dog, Willow.
Dalene Magsam, M.Ed., is a special education consultant at Easterseals Outreach. She received her undergraduate degree from Missouri State University and a Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Arkansas. Dalene has taught in various grade levels across the continuum of special education services over the past 18 years. She is enthusiastic about digging deeper to consider the whole child, the power of building relationships and making a positive impact by promoting high levels of learning for all students. She currently serves as a board member for the Learning Disabilities Association of Arkansas. Dalene enjoys biking, hiking, opportunities to soak up the sunshine, and spending time with her family.
Katelynn “Katie” Estes, OTD, OTR/L is an assistive technology specialist for Easterseals Outreach Program and Technology Services. Katie completed her B.S. in Psychology at John Brown University and graduated from the University of Central Arkansas as a doctor of occupational therapy in 2020. Katie completed her doctoral capstone in adaptive gaming for individuals with spinal cord injuries and enjoys helping people do the things they love! Katie has experience in early intervention, preschool, inpatient rehabilitation, and acute care settings. Katie is a member of AOTA, AROTA, and participates in the Arkansas Related Services Community of Practice. In her free time, she enjoys video games, house projects, and spending time with her family.
Amy Orman, M.S.,CCC-SLP, CBIS is a speech-language pathology consultant for the Easterseals Outreach Program and Technology Services. She received her undergraduate degree from Ouachita Baptist University and a Masters of Science degree from the University of Central Arkansas. Amy also obtained an advanced practice certification as a Brain Injury Specialist from the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists in 2018. Before joining the Outreach team, she served children ages 3-21 diagnosed with severe to profound disabilities, primarily focusing on Augmentative/Alternative Communication and Feeding & Swallowing. During that time, Amy also received her STAR implementer certification and worked as a STAR coach in several special education classrooms. In her spare time, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband and two young sons.
Bethany Splawn, M.S., CCC-SLP, serves as a speech language pathology consultant to Easterseals Outreach. She completed her undergraduate degree at Henderson State University and received a Master of Science in Communicative Disorders from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she participated in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities grant. Bethany has worked in a variety of settings, providing services to children in outpatient clinics such as Easterseals Little Rock Developmental Preschool to public schools. She has volunteered with the Arkansas Autism Foundation and A-Camp among others. Bethany is passionate about advocating for children and their families. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two boys.
Bethany Compton, MCD CCC/SLP is a Speech/Language Pathology Consultant with Easterseals Outreach. She received an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Masters in Communication Disorders from Arkansas State University. Prior to joining the Outreach team, Bethany served as a school-based Speech/Language Pathologist for 8 years working with students at the elementary level. Bethany believes that all students can learn at high levels & that collaboration is key in the success of students with varying abilities in and out of the classroom.
