deafblind interveners: building a profession

We all must have information about the world

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What is Deafblindness?

With typical vision and hearing, this information comes

through our eyes and ears automatically without much effort

Hearing loss or vision loss alone has

great impact

A child with a vision loss . . . .

must rely more upon hearing to compensate for the lack of visual information

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Hearing must compensate

A child with a hearing loss . . . .

must rely more upon vision to

compensate for the lack of auditory

information

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Vision must compensate

For children with both vision and hearing loss, neither sense can adequately compensate for the lack of the other.

Natural flow of visual and auditory information doesn’t occur

Does not usually refer to total deafness and total blindness; degrees of loss vary greatly

Pieces of information may be:

• Incomplete

• Distorted

• Unreliable

Complete information cannotbe accessed in a clear andconsistent way

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Deafblindness is a disability of access - access to visual and

auditory information about people and things in the environment

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Children who are deafblind are diversewith unique needs

All share:

Similar learning and communication challenges

Isolating effects of combined vision and hearing loss

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Typical

Learning

Incidental

Occurs automatically without much effort

The way most information is

learned

Secondary

Listening to a person teach or present

information

Direct

Hands-onexperiences

Deafblind

Learning

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Incidental

Usually does not occur and is not effective

is difficult

Secondary

Hands-on experiences are essential.

The best way to learn.

Direct

The learning needs of children

who are deafblind are different

from those of typical sighted

and hearing children. This

poses unique challenges to

most educational settings,

because they are not generally

designed to provide intensive

amounts of direct, hands-on

learning.

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Receiving

Attending

Generalizing

Remembering

Gathering

Interpreting

Synthesizing

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Receiving

Attending

Generalizing

Remembering

Gathering

Interpreting

Synthesizing

12A Delivery System

Connect them to the world

Provide access to clear andconsistent visual and auditoryinformation

Provide support for thedevelopment and use ofcommunication

Provide support for socialand emotional well-being

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Intervention for children

who are deafblind must:

14Helen Keller & Annie Sullivan

A person who:

Works consistently one-to-one with a child who is

deafblind

Has training and specialized skills in deafblindness

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Intervener

To facilitate access to environmental information usually

gained through vision and hearing

To facilitate the development and/or use of receptive

and expressive communication skills

To develop and maintain a trusting, interactive

relationship that can promote social and emotional

well-being

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Role of the Intervener

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Access to information

Communication

Social and emotional well-being

Process of Intervention

• Academic work

• Self-care routines

• Specialized therapies

• Social activities

Sandra Harbaugh (Iowa)

Interveners at Work

Tricia Houlihan (Texas)

Interveners at Work

• The use of one-to-one supports for children and youth who are deafblind is not a new practice.

• There have been individual efforts in individual states since the 1970’s.

• National efforts have focused on establishing:

• Common terminology• Consistency of definitions• Clarity of the role of Interveners • Recognized competencies for Interveners• Standards for training Interveners• Guidelines for implementing the practice

• The efforts to date have been focused on establishing a national practice and what has been accomplished has been the result of many people working collaboratively together.

On January 17, 2002, the first official meeting of the National Intervener Task Force was held at the Project Director’s Meeting in Washington, DC.

Purpose of the Task Force:

To provide a forum for an open discussion of issues, concerns, and needs

To provide an opportunity for information sharing

To establish a common vision

To collectively identify goals to guide ongoing efforts

To develop resources and materials

To provide support for the efforts of states, families, and individuals

To promote unity

National Intervener Task Force

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Awareness

and

Advocacy

Systems

Issues and

Change

Parent

Education

and

Involvement

Training

Data and

Information

on Child

Impact

• Agreement on a definition of

Interveners

• Clarification of the role of interveners

• Meetings of the National Task Force

• Ad Hoc Committee meetings

• Materials and resource development

• Conference presentations

• Information available through

NCDB website

• Intervener Community

of Practice

Awareness

and Advocacy

Children and Youth Who Are Deafblind

• Ongoing collection of qualitative

data

• VIP Study 1989-1992

• Collection of child outcome data

• Ongoing efforts to fund research

studies

Data and

Information on

Child Impact


• Development of materials for parents

• Information disseminated through

SPARKLE

• Collaboration with PTIs and other

parent groups

• Ongoing efforts of the National

Intervener Parent Group (NDBII)

Parent Education

and Involvement


A National Intervener Parent Group was formed in 2006. They call

their efforts the National Deafblind Intervener Initiative.

Mission Statement

“The purpose of the National Deafblind Intervener Initiative is to establish

the use of qualified Interveners as an accepted practice for individuals

who are deafblind (ages birth to death), to emphasize the need for

competency-based training for interveners, and to support the recognition

of interveners as related service providers under IDEA laws and

regulations and as service providers under adult services.”

• Establishment ofNational IntervenerCompetencies

• Validation of Competencies

• Recognition of standards for training interveners through the CEC Specialized Professional Association

• Development of University Training Programs

• Requirement by the Office of Special Education Programs for State Deafblind Projects to address training for interveners

• Establishment of a National Intervener Credential through the NationalResource Center forParaprofessionals

Training


In 2008, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

approved Intervener Competencies and established

an Intervener SPA (Specialized Professional

Association) within CEC.

The Intervener SPA is listed in the CEC Red Book.

This recognizes the knowledge and skills needed by

Interveners and establishes standards for training

programs.

Intervener Training

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National Intervener Competencies

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Online training program to prepare paraprofessionals to work as interveners with individuals who are deafblind

Coursework plus practicum experience utilizing distance technologies

Courses:

• COMD 4660 Introduction to Deafblindness (4 credits)

• COMD 4840 Vision and Hearing Loss (4 credits)

• COMD 4250 Practicum Work Study

Program Options:

• Certificate of Completion

• Associate of Science Degree in GeneralStudies with a Focus in Deafblindness

Intervener Training

Utah State University

http://nrcpara.org/

The need for Intervener training programs has long been recognized in the field of

deafblindness. Although some local, state, and regional programs have been developed

to address this need, there is a general lack of common standards, competencies, and

practices among these training programs. The National Intervener Credentialing

Program, administered through the National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals and

Related Service Providers (NRCP), establishes common standards, competencies, and

practices in a way that is both rigorous and affordable. Administrators of local and state

education agencies can be assured that students who have completed the NRCP-approved

training, practicum, and credential process, have met standards that are rigorous and

recognized beyond their local school, district, and state.

National Credentialing for Interveners Through theNational Resource Center for Paraprofessionals

The requirements for obtaining the National Intervener Credential include:

• A minimum of 10-credit hours of coursework from an Institution of Higher Education (includes a 2-credit hour practicum experience)

• A practicum experience (minimum of 2-credit hours) under the supervision of the course instructor and the guidance of a trained Intervener Coach

• A completed Intervener Portfolio based on the National Intervener Competencies which provides documentation that the intervener has acquired the knowledge and skills needed to be an effective intervener

Once the intervener has met all the requirements for credentialing, the Portfolio and other documentation is submitted to the National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals, along with a $100 processing fee. If all requirements are met, the credential is awarded to the intervener.

The National Intervener Credential is good for 5 years.

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• Recognizes the unique knowledge and skills that an intervener must have

• Establishes the level of training needed to be considered an intervener

• Supports a standard of excellence for interveners

• Promotes systems change at local, state and national levels

• Facilitates recognition of interveners that results in improved conditions

such as higher pay

• Facilitates improved outcomes for

individuals who are deafblind

• Supports the professionalization

of the intervener practice

Benefits of theNational Intervener Credential

Comparison of A System of Training through Institutions of Higher Education and Inservice

Intervener Training Through Higher Education at University or

College

In-service Training–Workshops, Conferences,

Monthly Training Sessions, etc.

Has checks and balances in place to ensure the quality of the program X ?

Approved level of rigor X ?

Process for ensuring that instructors and supervisors are qualified X ?

Quality controls for program over time (i.e., ongoing monitoring and evaluation of courses, instructors, etc.)

X ?

Provides Intense individualized study of content X ?

High accountability for learning and performance X ?

Consistent measurement of knowledge gain through assignments, tests, discussions, etc.

X ?

Individualized personal attention from instructors, mentors, coaches, etc. X ?

Supervised practicum measuring implementation of intervener knowledge and skills

X ?

Portfolio development documents attainment of CEC intervener competencies

X ?

Possible long-term sustainability X ?

Can provide a career track to degree programs (i.e., teachers of the deafblind)

X ?

Has checks and balances in place to ensure the quality of the program X ?

SKI-HI Institute, Utah State University, 6500 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-6500

• Goal:

S To provide national visibility, clarity, and understanding of the practice of using trained interveners with children and youth who are deafblind

S To establish the practice as an acceptable, credible and enduring option of support for children and youth who are deafblind

S To establish interveners as a related service under IDEA

• Recognition of interveners by CEC

• Requirements from OSEP

• Inclusion of the Intervener Communities of Practice inthe TAcommunities

Systems Issues

and ChangeChildren

and Youth Who Are Deafblind

“The power of effecting changes for

the better is within ourselves, not in

the favorableness of circumstances.”

Helen Keller

The mission of the National Intervener Association is to:

• Promote quality intervention services for individuals with deafblindness

• Promote recognition of interveners at local, state, and national levels and acceptance of the term “Intervener” as a unique occupation requiring specialized training in deafblindness

• Promote awareness of the impact an intervener can have on a child’s learning, communication and overall development

• Provide support for interveners and a place for interveners to talk with other interveners in the field, share learning experiences, brainstorm, and collaborate.

National Intervener Association (NIA)

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Professionalizing the Intervener Practice

• www.Intervener.org and Facebook

• Establishing a national intervener organization,National Intervener Association (NIA)

• Establishing Interveners as related services under IDEA

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National Intervener Association

(NIA)

Interveners: The Building of a Profession

National Intervener Taskforce

It’s like putting together a big jigsaw puzzle. The pieces have to be created over time. The form of the pieces is variable. The sequence of putting the pieces together as they’re being formed is variable. It’s not totally clear as to how the final big picture will look. We’ll just know when it’s completed. But even then, it will continue to evolve.




