Support AG Bell Today
Support AG Bell Today
“LOFT was the best experience I've ever had and I feel so grateful that I got the chance to attend. It was awesome to finally find a community I could share my experiences over the past 15 years with, people who could relate to me and understand my needs.”
Download our information guide to learn more about LOFT, read testimonials from past participants, view a sample schedule, get scholarship info and more!
LOFT builds connections, respect and camaraderie among teens who share a common bond. Activities and sessions build on each other over the course of the program, integrating the overall outcomes, including:
In addition to learning invaluable skills, all participants take home some great swag including a photobook of memories from their time at LOFT. Check out last year’s photos for a sneak peek at the fun to be had!
We deeply appreciate the generous financial contributions and support of the following sponsors and donors. Without it LOFT would not be possible. If you would like to sponsor the 2025 edition of LOFT, please contact Trenita Dickey at tdickey@agbell.org.
Burch Family Foundation | Rothman Family Foundation | Zellis Family Foundation
KDH Research | Ken Levinson | Paul & Sarah Sommer | Robert & Marie Bush | Kathleen & Sam Jadallah | Catharine McNally | Tracy Desmond | Irene Leigh
Deaf adult, technology and accessibility advocate, and one of LOFT’s coolest counselors, Catherine is a leader at GitHub and has been teaching teens with AG Bell for over 15 years.
Catharine McNally has been a LOFT counselor since 2008 and is the past Chair of the AG Bell Board. She lost her hearing at eight months old, learned Cued Speech at eighteen months old and received her first cochlear implant at the age of three. After graduating from Wake Forest University, she began her career in accessibility at VSA Arts, the Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Galleries, and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. she moved up to Washington, DC to begin a career in technology and accessibility leadership. She is a dedicated advocate for using technology to bridge the accessibility divide – constantly finding new uses for accessibility. Her influential work has been recognized through national leadership awards, honors, and national publications. In 2011, McNally was listed as “People to Watch” in the Washingtonian Magazine’s Tech Titans feature, and the recipient of the American Association of People with Disabilities national leadership award. McNally is the Sr. Program Manager for Accessibility at GitHub. During her (rare) free time you can find her on the golf course, trail running, or spending time with friends.
LOFT Co-creator, CPA, and actual clown (he studied at the Clown Conservatory!), Ken will be your head counselor and director of all things leadership and fun at LOFT.
Ken Levinson is a CPA and a Director in the Tax and Business Services group of Marcum, LLP, a national CPA firm. He merged his former firm, Kornetsky, Levinson & Company, CPAs in San Francisco, into Marcum in 2023. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of The Children’s Hearing Institute in New York and a partner in another CPA practice in Los Angeles. Ken is currently the Chair of the Board of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and has current and past service on boards of many other organizations. His involvement with the ADA resulted in an invitation to the White House when President Bush signed it into law. Ken received the Honors of the Association from AG Bell at the 2006 Biennial Convention in Pittsburgh. His involvements have brought him recognition among his peers as Distinguished Alumni of his high school and as the Public Service Award recipient for the California Society of CPAs. Together with the late Donna Dickman, Ken co-created the LOFT program which debuted in 1996 at AG Bell’s Biennial Convention in Snowbird, Utah. He is past President of the Board of the San Francisco Circus Center. Ken’s interest in the circus stemmed from his clown classes at the Clown Conservatory.
Bilateral implant user, certified LSLS and Teacher of the Deaf for nearly 20 years, Danielle is an awesome mom (to her tween son, 2 dogs and many chickens) and even more awesome counselor.
Danielle Paquin is a certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist and Teacher of the Deaf at New England Center for Hearing and Rehabilitation in Hampton, Connecticut. After graduating from Roger Williams University with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Psychology and a minor in Biology, she went to Smith College for a Masters in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. A native of Connecticut and UCONN Husky/Red Sox fan, Danielle moved to Texas to teach. She taught for 12 years at Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children, teaching PreKindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. In 2015, she and her family moved back home to Connecticut. Danielle joined AG Bell/DHHS in 1999 and since then has served on the 2010 Convention Planning Committee, Preschool-Age Financial Aid Scholarship Committee, LEAP Focus Group, and the DHHS board as a Member-at-Large and Advisor to the College Leadership Committee. She is bilaterally implanted and learned Cued Speech while in college. Danielle loves to travel and explore the outdoors with her partner Tammy and 12 year old son Oliver. Danielle enjoys working out, playing volleyball and softball, cooking, gardening and relaxing by a fire in her backyard surrounded by family, her dogs Tank and Abbott and her chickens.
AG Bell is hiring a Summer 2025 Intern! If you’re a LOFT alum with strong communication and organizational skills, and a passion for empowering deaf and hard of hearing youth, join our team. This part-time role offers hands-on experience, a stipend, and a flexible schedule.
