Board of Directors

CAIP Board of Directors

The CAIP Board of Directors is a group of Clinic Directors and Irlen Diagnosticians who have worked together as volunteers to organize this professional association.

We have added three board members -- all Certified Irlen Screeners -- one from British Columbia, one from the prairie provinces & one from Quebec/Atlantic provinces. We have an opening for one from Ontario and are taking applications for this position at this time.

Nola Stigings, Certified Irlen Diagnostician
President of the Canadian Association of Irlen Professionals
Clinic Director- 3R’s Irlen Centre - Innisfail, Alberta

Nola’s background education was in the field of Nursing and Nursing Administration. She developed a keen interest in Irlen Syndrome in 1999, when her stepdaughter was tested. She became a Certified Irlen Screener in 2000 and was trained by Helen Irlen in 2010 to be a Certified Irlen Diagnostician. She loves doing presentations and teaching other professionals about Irlen Syndrome.

Nola is proud to be President of CAIP and looks forward to working with Irlen Professionals to create greater awareness of Irlen Syndrome in Canada. She looks forward to helping to create an avenue for ongoing education by utilizing the Internet and social media.

Website: www.irlenalberta.ca
E-mail: president@irlencanada.ca

Judy Pool, M. Ed., Certified Irlen Diagnostician
Vice-President of the Canadian Association of Irlen Professionals

Judy worked both as a nurse and a teacher prior to completing a Masters degree in Educational Psychology in 1994. Her major focus was reading and early reading intervention.

Judy in partnership with two colleagues established a private company, Reading and Writing Consultants, Inc. in Edmonton, AB. The company’s three areas of specialization were and are reading assessments, tutoring people with reading difficulties and providing workshops for teachers in the reading area.

As Judy and her colleagues successfully tutored students and adults in reading, they came across more that one student who did not progress as anticipated. Quite by chance, Judy began to read Helen Irlen’s book, Reading by the Colors. During her coursework, no one had ever suggested asking the reader to describe what was happening on the page. She promptly put that question to a Grade 4 student who could read the first page of a novel quickly and accurately. When she continued to the second page, her reading fell apart. The student responded that there were blobs of yellow covering some of the words on the page. She was guessing what the words under the blobs were.

Judy became an Irlen Screener in November 1996. The Reading Specialists at Reading & Writing Consultants began to include Irlen Screenings in their services to optimize their tutoring services, and now, actively disseminate Irlen information.

In February 2003, Judy was trained at the Irlen Institute in Long Beach, California as a Certified Irlen Diagnostician. Since her training she has assessed more than 2000 people, both adults and children, for the Irlen Spectral filters. Judy’s practice covers Northern Alberta, where she has trained a network of Irlen Screeners. Judy also gives seminars at teachers’ conventions, private companies and parent groups on Irlen Syndrome.

Website: www.irlenedmonton.ca
E-mail: vice-president@irlencanada.ca

Lilyane Bienert, B.R.E, B. ED., certified Irlen Screener, Certified Irlen Diagnostician, Professionally Certified Educational Therapist ( N.I.L.D.)
Treasurer of the Canadian Association of Irlen Professionals

Lilyane taught adults music in a college in Brazil for many years. She then worked in Edmonton, Alberta as an Educational Therapist in private practice for many years.
She joined Reading and Writing Consultants, Inc. in Edmonton, AB in 2008. She then worked as a tutor, Educational Therapist and Administrative Assistant for a number of years.
She completed her Education degree in 2011 and has been teaching elementary school part time ever since. She has been working as an Irlen screener since 2009 and an Irlen Lens Diagnostician since 2016.
educational Therapy and working with people in Irlen Screenings and Lens Assessments are both very helpful ways to enable people to experience success in their learning.

Website- www.irlenedmonton.ca

E-mail: reading@telus.net

Sheila Bos, Certified Irlen Screener- Alberta (Prairie Provinces Representative)
Secretary of the Canadian Association of Irlen Professionals

Website: www.irlenalberta.ca

Email: secretary@irlencanada.ca

Debbie Sniderman, M.Ed., Certified Irlen Diagnostician (retired)
General Board Member of the Canadian Association of Irlen Professionals

Debbie worked as a special education teacher and early childhood teacher before getting her Masters degree in education in language arts in 2000. Her focus of study was reading and language.

Debbie joined Reading and Writing Consultants, Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta in1998. She enjoys her partnership with her two colleagues helping to run a private business for testing and tutoring people with reading difficulties.

Upon training for her masters, Debbie was introduced to the difficulties encountered by people with Irlen syndrome. In 1999, she became an Irlen screener, and in 2006, she was trained to be a diagnostician.

Debbie’s tutoring practice has grown, as has her work with Irlen screenings and lens assessments. Dealing with Irlen syndrome has become one of the most effective and efficient strategies for dealing with students’ reading difficulties.

Website: www.irlenedmonton.ca

E-mail: membership@irlencanada.ca

Becky Kamps, Certified Irlen Screener (BC Representative)
General Board Member of the Canadian Association of Irlen Professionals

Website: www.irlenalberta.ca
Email: irlen@telus.net