Talking Hands Award Sections
Talking Hands Award
Evaluation and Judging Panel
Based upon an average score of twenty-three or more, a recommendation is then made to our international panel. Our judges unanimous approval is required for the award presentation and is final.
All of our judges are long time friends in life and or online for an extended period of time. Each has begun their web building experience like everyone else, initially through trial and error and then through online courses and formal training in colleges, universities or trade schools in an effort to keep up to date in a field which is ever changing and full of excitement and challenges. While none would consider themselves "experts", they are steeped in experience and offer easy to understand help and guidance as we all build web sites which are accessible to everyone.
Judges
Mary Schmidt is a traveling registered nurse based out of Denver, CO. at this time, soon to be Melbourne, Australia, for a two year contract; she is on the Kansas State Nurses Association, chairperson Council on Practice; past president for 10 years local branch of the American Cancer Society; and has spent many years working with March of Dimes and Boy Scouts of America; worked with The Site Fights, ten plus years.
She is married and mother to three sons, two in Heaven; builds web pages for fun, and spends free time in self taught graphic design.
Trisha is self taught on the computer, HTML and web page production. Her children are grown, now she and her husband of 36 years share their home with a dog named Boo and a cat called Angel. Trisha has served as a team leader with TSF and as a Community Leader with GeoCities where her gift for writing poetry was expanded along with her excellent communication skills.
Susan MacArthur is quite familiar with tools to check for valid code, HTML, CSS, missing or dead links, as well as general accessibility. All of this in addition to being the owner the Pelaqita Persians award program will assist her to fairly judge a web site.
She has created two sites for herself, and has designed and maintained five others and enjoys the whole process of web design from concept, figuring out the colors that work well together and trying to get what she envisions for a site to actually work!
Lupércio Mundim is the owner and evaluator of Poetic Soul, he was born in November 4 of 1946 in Brazil and lived in the cities of Ipameri, Goiânia and Rio de Janeiro. He is an accomplished poet and a lawyer who studied in the Anhanguera University of Goiânia.
Rhonda Serong (New Zealand)-past Business Consultant with an intense interest in the English language, self taught with HTML and web page production and owner of O.N.Z.C.D.A. since 1998 she has a thorough understanding of a web site visit which will leave a person a better world citizen when they return to their normal daily activities. Rhonda also serves in various capacities within other areas of the award community.
Paula Moore has taught at Web Tech University for 11 years. She is self-taught in HTML, XHTML and CSS and enjoys helping others to learn how to do their own websites. She has a degree in special education and currently maintains two websites - one genealogical and one for scrap booking. She is the mother of three children and has been happily married for 20 years.
Dave Griffith's PalletMaster's Workshop contains his writings, poetry and short stories which he has been writing and publishing since 1969.
As a home-bound disabled person Dave began designing and building WebPages in 1997.
Dave writes in five different genre'; short-story, light poetry, inspirational, patriotic, and sonnet/muse.
Senior Assistant Awards Coordinator
Tommy Walters lives in Lavonia, Georgia with his wonderful wife of 46 years. Tommy was born on Easter Sunday April 9, 1939. Being retired Tommy has had cancer two times but lucky enough to survive for past 16 years. In 1990 Tommy suffered a massive heart attack which leaves a portion of his heart not functioning. He is grateful to God for all these trials and wants very much to be of help to others. Tommy is director of HPIP prayer board and enjoys answering request from people all over the world.
Tommy's wife passed away October 12, 2010 with extended years of illness. Married 52 years, 2 months and 10 days. Two daughters Mona Lisa and Tabatha. Three grand children Scott, William Thomas and Morgan Hope Walters. Daughter and granddaughter live with Tommy, who is a three time survivor of cancer, continues to enjoy working with Talking Hands Committee and self taught in HTML. Loves people and be of help to anyone wishing to be in need.
Criteria Rubric Evaluation Staff
George McCartney was born and has spent most of his life on Staten
Island, New York. He has over forty years experience with large business systems in design, analysis and programming. Since retiring seven years ago, he has taught himself HTML, XHTML, CSS and a
smattering of JavaScript. He has developed and currently maintains three websites; one genealogical, one historical and one commercial.
Awards Coordinator
Denny Lancaster is chairperson of the Heartland Golden Heart Award (now inactive); evaluator for three years-Award of Excellence; mentor and evaluator for The Site Fights, five years.
He is the father of four children, a tax attorney, a certified webmaster through online courses and is a MCI (master certified instructor) in ten disciplines, who established the Talking Hands Award because of his love of "special children."
Training and Our Responsibility