ABOUT

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Excellence is the future

George Schinarakis' professional growth has been defined by refusing to accept the status quo of low-performing and minimal expectations in deaf students' educational outcomes. George is dedicated to the belief that deaf people can and must aim higher, think in new ways, and create a positive future that they did not know existed before.

GEORGE SCHINARAKIS

Educational Advisor,

Deaf Communities Development Specialist

Μy international experience in the overriding issues affecting deaf people's achievements has convinced me that education is the key to secure a life of quality for deaf people. My major interest is to contribute to deaf education and deaf communities' overall growth.

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
― Michelangelo Buonarroti

BACKGROUND

George Schinarakis was born in the city of Heraklion, on Crete Island, in Greece. When he was seven years old, he moved to Athens to attend elementary and secondary school. He attended the National and Kapodistriako University of Athens and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education. After graduating with his BEd, George decided to expand his perspectives in Deaf Education by studying abroad. He was the first Greek deaf student to receive a full Fulbright Scholarship to attend the Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. where he earned a Master’s Degree in Deaf Education.

HIS YEARS IN GREECE

After he graduated with his Master’s degree, he returned to Greece and established a strong career as an educator and an entrepreneur. He founded and developed the “Schinarakis Studies-Special Education”-the first franchise network of private schools for Special Education in Greece. He also participated in many scientific projects on education and language development of the deaf and h-o-h students. With a genuine passion for deaf children's education, he established and participated in many non-profit organizations involved in education and in broader accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

LIFE IN CANADA & THE US

In 2012, he moved to Canada, where he attended the School of Management at George Brown College and the International Business Management Post-graduate Program. During his years in Canada he has worked as an Elementary Teacher for the deaf at the the Provincial & Demonstrations Schools Branch (PDSB)-Ontario Ministry of Education, Project Manager in accessibility for Deaf students at George Brown College, Executive Director at Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Inc. in Saskatoon, Administrative and Outreach Director at H3 World TV, Instructor of the American Sign Language at the Canadian Hearing Society, and Teacher at the The International Yeshiva High School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. In 2018, George moved to the US to participate in the International Development MA Program at Gallaudet University. He has also established the non-profit organization Deaf Communities Globally Empowering (Deaf Empowerment).

THE SCHINARAKIS TEACHING & LEARNING PHILOSOPHY

Having devoted his life to deaf education and community service, George Schinarakis has constantly been challenged by seeking answers to the gaps in deaf education. Utilizing his scientific observation and international working experience, he developed a teaching method that emphasizes the role of Philosophy in deaf education. His successful teaching method for deaf students is based on the Socratic method and his genuine passion for education.

George aspires to surround himself with those committed to making a positive intellectual, educational, and cultural contribution to Deaf Communities and broader societies.

He is currently living and working in London, ON, with his wife and their son.