Emma V. Balderas currentlyteaches at Rochester School for the Deaf (RSD) in the Early Childhood
Center (ECC) with children ages 2 and 3. Emma has experience working with the Family Instructional
Resource Service Team (FIRST) program which supports children birth to 36 months of age and their
families. Emma has taught at 4 different Deaf schools around the nation totaling over 15 years of
knowledge and expertise in the field of Deaf Education.
Emma received her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Deaf Education with a specialization in
Advocacy and Diversity for Families from Gallaudet University and currently finishing her Master of
Science in Secondary Education (MSSE) of students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Rochester
Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf (RIT/NTID).
Emma's core values include providing a bilingual, language-rich environment to all students with ful
and early access to both American Sign Language (ASL) and English through incidental and planned
learning. In her spare time Emma enjoys hiking, yoga, traveling, and finding the best restaurant
delectable in town.