Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission has announced the appointment of Desa Johnson Walls to the Illinois Board of Interpreters.

Desa Johnson Walls, a resident of Jacksonville, IL, will serve a term that expires on December 31, 2026. She is appointed as a Deaf Consumer representative on the board.

Currently, Walls works as an Administrative Assistant at the Illinois School for the Deaf, where she serves as an athletic director and assistant to the superintendent. Additionally, she has taught American Sign Language (ASL) classes online through the Chicago Hearing Society for three years and has experience in assessing sign language skills.

Previously, Walls held positions as an office coordinator at the Illinois School for the Deaf Outreach and as an office clerk at the Illinois State Police. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from Columbia College Chicago in 2001 and two years of education at Illinois College.

Walls has also been active in various boards and committees, including serving with Deaf Women Chicago for the Deaf Women United conference of 2024. She sponsors several clubs and after-school activities at ISD involving deaf and hard-of-hearing students in community services. Walls resides in Jacksonville with her family of eight.

She joins current members Hershella Ashford, Kimberly Berger, Laura Braucht, Ayanna Dowd, Teri Hedding, and Amy Miller on the Illinois Board of Interpreters.