2009-2010 Fellows: Tanya Derkash

tanya_derkash.jpgMy name is Tanya Derkash and I both love and live in San Francisco, California.  I am originally from Colorado, did most of my schooling in New York City and moved to the bay area five years ago.  I am a special education teacher and have been an inclusion support teacher at an urban high school for the past four years.  I am currently working on my Master’s degree for Special Education and am also participating in a deaf blindness endorsement program through California Deaf Blind Services and San Francisco State University. My interest in special education started in high school when I was an aide for a class with students with severe disabilities.  I loved it and have continued to work in the field in a variety of ways – at adult agencies providing residential, recreational, and day program services, in volunteer programs and in teaching programs.  The field is incredibly fascinating to me because it is constantly changing and it has drastically changed since thirty years ago – my lifetime!


Before becoming a teacher, I got my Master of Fine Arts in painting and continue to pursue this goal on the side.  I have an art studio in San Francisco and spend a lot of time there on the weekends and during the summer.  Some of my hobbies include reading, running, swimming, dance parties and watching movies.