Michelle Niehaus, LCSW is the Program Administrator for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at DBHDID.  Formerly a case coordinator at Lifeskills Foundation in St. Louis, she has also worked in direct support and as a therapist in Indiana and Kentucky.  Ms. Niehaus is the former president of ADARA and currently serves on the KY Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  She was the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Southeast Regional Institute on Deafness (SERID). This award is SERID’s highest honor. She enjoys presenting as a means of bridging knowledge gaps and inspiring people to address inequities across systems.  One goal is to increase the number of Deaf or Hard of Hearing targeted case managers, direct support staff, and certified peer support specialists across the Commonwealth.  When not working, Michelle enjoys travel, reading, the arts, and being with her family.