Debbie Smith

Audiologist gets Annie Sullivan Award from MIU Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV (MIU IV) honored Debbie Smith of Cranberry Township with the annual Annie Sullivan Award.Smith has served as an audiologist for MIU IV for more than 26 years.The award recognizes Smith as an educator who shows care, concern and skill in helping students with special needs gain acceptance in their schools and communities. She was nominated for this honor by her colleagues and students.Smith serves students with hearing impairments and their teachers in seven school districts in Butler County.She provides hearing aid fittings, assists teachers with amplification systems in classrooms, helps teachers with accommodations and instruction for students with hearing impairments, and participates with hearing screenings and evaluations.Smith also helps parents advocate for their children with hearing impairments.“At MIU IV, we are active and responsive to kids in need. Our audiology services give children the tools they need to learn,” she said. “Helping kids learn is what drives me every day.”Smith earned her bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology and her master’s degree in audiology from Clarion University.