September 2023 Special Needs Living Akron/Canton

Question & Answer Session with Stacy Jackson Regional Director of Gigi’s Playhouse

Q. Where do you work currently?

A. GiGi’s Playhouse Inc.

Q. What is your job title here?

A. Regional Director

Q. How long have you been employed with your current job?

A. 15 months

Q. How long have you been employed in this industry?

A. I have been on staff with GiGi’s Playhouse for a little over a year, this is my first job working for a non-profit in this capacity. I have been heavily involved with GiGi’s Playhouse Canton though as a start-up team member, events committee chair, and various board seats including president.

Q. What were your previous jobs in the industry?

A. I have been an adjunct instructor at Stark State College since 2008, in their education department, mostly teaching courses in their American Sign Language program. Prior to working for GiGi’s Playhouse, I also taught ASL at Glenoak High School. The first part of my professional career was spent as an ASL interpreter in the classroom as well as in other various settings.

Q. What were your previous jobs in the industry?

A. I have been an adjunct instructor at Stark State College since 2008, in their education department, mostly teaching courses in their American Sign Language program. Prior to working for GiGi’s Playhouse, I also taught ASL at Glenoak High School. The first part of my professional career was spent as an ASL interpreter in the classroom as well as in other various settings.

Q. Educational background

A. Bachelors in ASL Interpreting from Kent State University Master’s in Education from the University of Akron– Intervention Specialist, Mild to Moderate

Q. What do your day-to-day job responsibilities include?

A. Each day is different, which is one of the things I love about my job. But in general, I meet virtually with the leaders of the Playhouse locations in my region on a regular basis, serving as support and pointing them to resources. I also meet virtually with other members of the national office always looking for new and better ways to provide that support to the network. In between calls, I work on projects and prepare for meetings and presentations. I also get to do a little traveling! Part of my job is to attend conferences and visit the Playhouses in my region to provide face-to-face support.

Q. What is the inspiration behind why you work in this field?

A. My career started with working with the Deaf community. I was fascinated by their culture and language and wanted to make a difference by serving them in any way I could, and I valued my place in their community. I loved working as an interpreter but wanted to be more involved as an educator, so I decided to go back to school for my master’s degree in special education. I enjoyed teaching, especially teaching hearing people about how awesome Deaf people were. It wasn’t long after my daughter Maleah was born in 2016 with Down syndrome, that I got involved with GiGi’s Playhouse, and my passion for making this world a better place for Deaf people expanded into a passion for making this world a better place for all who were considered “different.”

Q. What part of your job are you most passionate about?

A. The part of my job that excites me the most is hearing about all of the amazing things the various GiGi’s Playhouse locations are doing in their communities. Everyone who is involved with GiGi’s Playhouse, whether it’s the national staff, the Playhouse staff, the volunteers, the families, the participants, we are all driven by a passion to change the way the world views Down syndrome and send a global message of acceptance for all. So, we celebrate stories about acceptance and bring awareness to stories of discrimination. The good, the bad, and the ugly need to be shared because it’s important to recognize that although we have come a long way, there are miles and miles to go.

Q. What is your favorite success story you have seen?

A. An out-of-state Playhouse I have the privilege to work with is located in a small town. They opened during COVID, and they are already well on their way to raising enough funds to move into a much larger space very soon. Seeing their growth, and the way they engage their community to support their families and the mission of GiGi’s Playhouse is incredible. They are an inspiration and a great example I can share with the other locations I help to support.

Q. If you could go back and talk to yourself at the beginning of your career, what advice would you give yourself?

A. “You can do this.”

Q. Do you feel like you’re making a difference in your job and why?

A. I know I am making a difference. Whether it’s through an encouraging word to an exhausted president, coaching and guiding a start-up team, sharing tips and tricks between Playhouses, or ensuring Playhouse teams know best practices, although I am not directly working with families, as a current Playhouse board member, I can relate to the joys and struggles the Playhouses experience.

Q. What is something you would change in your field for the better if you could?

A. Funding that is more easily accessible. Each GiGi’s Playhouse is exclusively funded through private donations, grants, and fundraisers.

Q. What is your favorite non-profit organization or volunteer opportunity?

A. GiGi’s Playhouse!