Joan Phillips Waldron, who has been deaf since birth, serves as Director of Development and Operations/Foundation Founder

 Serves as the Director of Development and Operations as well as Founder of the Able Kids Foundation since 2005. The Foundation is a research-based, solutions-oriented nonprofit that partners with local, national, and international organizations, eliminating barriers and expanding opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

 Jo Waldron has more than 35 years of experience in executive level, corporate America and is an entrepreneur. She has also served as a liaison with several Presidential Administrations and numerous federal agencies and offices.

 This self-taught inventor driven by a lifelong quest to know what her children and family sounded like, along with wanting any sound to finally break the vacuum of silence, is an experienced inventor of accessible products for people with disabilities. Her journey has led her to create inventions that benefit all individuals and deliver the full and true impact of sound.

 Jo has created numerous job fairs; placing more than 6,000 Coloradoan’s with disabilities in the workforce.

 President Ronald Reagan selected Jo Waldron to receive America’s highest honor, “The President’s Trophy,” and she was appointed “Disabled American for the Nation,” representing the Presidents of the and all American’s with disabilities since 1987. Jo is an accomplished public speaker, having done more than 1,500 public speaking engagements nationwide.

 Since 1987 she has worked closely with several Presidential Administrations and their Cabinet Members, the U.S. Senate, and Congress as well as numerous other elected and Presidential appointed officials, including the Chairman’s and Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the U.S. Department of Defense and the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of the Air Force, Army and Navy, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Federal Labor Agencies and the Veteran’s Administration.

 Jo spent over eleven years as a powerful civilian force in the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.She has developed worldwide hearing accessibility standards for the telecommunications industry and has worked closely with the FCC on the HAC ( Compatible) Act.

 Ms. Waldron served as the Chairman’s Appointee and a Primary Speaker to the President’s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities, which merged into the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Policy.

 She has appeared on numerous national and statewide talk shows including CBS This Morning and QVC. She has also been featured in Business Week, Wireless Week, RCR, Self, Office Computer, Entrepreneur, Working Woman, Telephony, Exceptional Parent (on Advisory Board), and numerous other national and major magazines and newspapers.

 Jo has served on numerous Boards and assisted with fundraising campaigns for organizations such as the United Way, Military campaigns, Inspiration Playground, Easter Seals, Quota International, DAV, PEO Sisterhood, Air Force Quarterback Club, US Olympic Hall of Fame, Ronald McDonald House, Center on Deafness, and many more.

AWARDS AND HONORS

 The President’s Trophy – Outstanding Disabled American for the United States of America, selected and appointed by President Ronald Reagan  Outstanding Community Leader of the Year – SERTOMA International  Outstanding Deaf Woman of the Year for the Western United States, Quota International, Inc.  Finalist, International Deaf Woman of the Year – Quota International, Inc.  Outstanding Service to the United Way – United Way  Outstanding Chairman, Professional Division – United Way  Who’s Who – International Directory of Distinguished Leadership  Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur – Freedom Newspapers  K2Outstanding Support, Project With Industries, Goodwill Industries of America  Honorary Citation, Outstanding Volunteer - American Red Cross  Outstanding Leadership – U.S. Army  Outstanding Leadership – U.S. Army Intelligence Headquarters  Outstanding Handicapped American – U.S. Army  Outstanding Leadership - The Pentagon, U.S. Department of Defense,  Secretary of Defense – Honor Award  Award of Appreciation – American Society of Military Comptrollers  Award of Appreciation – Life Underwriters Association  Award of Appreciation – U.S. Space Command, NORAD  Outstanding Ambassador, Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce  Who’s Who – Honor Awards  Who’s Who – 2,000 Notable Women in America  Who’s Who – Personalities of America  Who’s Who – America’s 1,000 Top Community Leaders  Who’s Who – Distinguished Americans  International Who’s Who of Intellectuals  The World’s Who’s Who of Women  International Woman of the Year, IBC, Cambridge, England  International Who’s Who of Professional and Business Women  Who’s Who Worldwide – Who’s Who Registry  Who’s Who – Outstanding American’s  Honorary Sertoman  Award for Improvement in the Quality of Life for People with Disabilities, National Safety Council  Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year, State of Colorado

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AWARDS FOR INVENTIONS

 Co-inventor of patented technology that received over 35 international awards. This technology was embedded in a variety of consumer audio products. It also won Consumer Electronics Show (CES)-Best of Innovation Award in the Embedded Technology Category, Innovations Showcase at the International Consumer Electronics Show.  Best of Innovations, Top Technology Innovation Award, Colorado  Colorado Small Business Award  I.Q. Award, Top Technology Innovation Award for Revolutionary Micro-Technology

PATENTS AND PUBLICATIONS

Sole, Primary and/or Co-Inventor for the following issued patents and patent applications:

 U.S. Patent Application 61/080,180, “Magnetostrictive Auditory System,” which also incorporates all that it discloses and teaches, U.S. Patent Application, “Apparatus and Methods for Mitigating Impairments Due to Central Auditory Nervous System Binaural Phase -Time Asynchrony.”  U.S. Patent Application 20100008524A1, “ Magnetostrictive Auditory System,” which also incorporates all that it discloses and teaches, U.S. Patent Application, “Apparatus and Methods for Mitigating Impairments Due to Central Auditory Nervous System Binaural Phase -Time Asynchrony.”  U.S Patent Application, 11/443,859, “Magnetostrictive Auditory System,” which also incorporate all that it discloses and teaches, U.S. Patent Application, “Apparatus and Methods for Mitigating Impairments Due to Central Auditory Nervous System Binaural Phase -Time Asynchrony.”  PCT/US2009/50288 “Magnetostrictive Auditory System”, which also incorporates all that it discloses and teaches, U.S. Patent Application, “Apparatus and Methods for Mitigating Impairments Due to Central Auditory Nervous System Binaural Phase -Time Asynchrony.”  National Phase Procurement (Patent applications filed in the following countries): United Kingdom -Japan-Germany-China--Australia  U.K. Patent Divisional GB2490822 “Magnetostrictive Auditory System” September 18, 2012  U.K. Patent GB2474614 “Magnetostrictive Auditory System” October 17, 2012  U.S. Patent 8,363,862 “Magnetostrictive Auditory System”, January 29, 2013  U.S. Patent Divisional Application, “Magnetostrictive Auditory System,” January, 2013  U.S. Patent Application, “ Auditory Comprehension and Audibility Device,” which also incorporates all that it discloses and teaches, U.S. Patent Application 61/543,937,filed October 6, 2011  U.S. Patent Application, “ Auditory Comprehension and Audibility Device,” which also incorporates all that it discloses and teaches, U.S. Patent Utility Application, filed October 5, 2012  PCT/US2009/50288 “Auditory Comprehension and Audibility Device”, which also incorporates all that it discloses and teaches, U.S. Patent Application, “Apparatus and Methods for Mitigating Impairments Due to Central Auditory Nervous System Binaural Phase-Time Asynchrony.”  China-procuring  Japan-procuring  Germany-procuring  New Zealand-procuring  Canada-procuring  U.S. Patent 7,657,049 “Telephone Handset”  U.S. Patent 7,584,010 “Telephone Handset”  PCT Patent Application PCT/US04/018405 “Improved Telephone Handset”  U.S. Utility Patent Application, 11/188,519, “Audio Signal System”  U.S. Utility Patent Application, 13,165,717, “Audio Signal System”  PCT Patent Application PCT/WO/2007/015853 “Audio Signal System”  National Phase Procurement (Patent applications filed in the following countries): Australia-Brazil-Canada-China-Japan-South Korea--Singapore  U.S. Patent 7,978,867 “Audio Signal System”  Euro Patent Office, Patent, 200480016297.5, “Improved Telephone Handset.”  New Zealand Patent, 544045, “Improved Telephone Handset”  U.S. Patent 7,657,049 “Telephone Handset”  U.S. Patent 7,584,010 “Telephone Handset”  PCT Patent Application PCT/US04/018405 “Improved Telephone Handset”  U.S. Utility Patent Application, 11/188,519, “Audio Signal System”  U.S. Utility Patent Application, 13,165,717, “Audio Signal System”  PCT Patent Application PCT/WO/2007/015853 “Audio Signal System”  National Phase Procurement (Patent applications filed in the following countries): Australia-Brazil-Canada-China-Japan-South Korea-Mexico-Singapore  U.S. Patent 7,978,867 “Audio Signal System”  Euro Patent Office, Patent, 200480016297.5, “Improved Telephone Handset.”  New Zealand Patent, 544045, “Improved Telephone Handset”  U.S. Patent 5,796,821 “Hearing Aid Telephone Interconnect System”  U.S. Patent 6,320,959 “Hearing Aid Telephone Interconnect System”  U.S. Patent 6,925,179 “Method and Apparatus for a Hearing Aid Coupling System”  U.S. Patent 7,317,807 “Apparatus for Communication Coupling With a Hearing Aid”  U.S. Patent 8,014,552 “Apparatus for Communication Coupling With a Hearing Aid”

COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS

 I AM ABLE™ Trademark was granted to the Able Kids Foundation who has launched the I AM ABLE™ Public Service Initiative, a partnership-based program developed to disseminate imaginative, innovative solution-based research and technology addressing auditory challenges while fostering education, outreach, and opportunity-based programs for children, youth, and adults with disabilities.

The Able Kids Foundation hopes to engage Presidential Administrations, the world’s top organizations, corporations, and government agencies to support this worldwide awareness campaign.