Linda Alsop Cyral Miller Maurice Belote Alana Zambone

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Presented by Linda AlsopCyral MillerMaurice
BeloteAlana Zambone
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• Discuss historical perspectives related to the
  use of Interveners
• Explain the efforts of the National Intervener
  Task Force
• Describe available materials and resources
• Explain current national efforts

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• 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 1970s.
• There has not been a nationally recognized
  practice with
• 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.

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National Intervener Task Force

• On January 17, 2002, the first official meeting
  of the National Intervener Task Force was held at
  the Project Directors 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

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National Intervener Task Force Participants
Wisconsin Florida South Dakota Illinois Arkansas N
ebraska Texas Utah Arizona Washington Pennsylvania
California Virginia West Virginia Mississippi Mar
yland Oregon North Carolina Minnesota Vermont
Massachusetts/New England Center New York New
Jersey Indiana Colorado Kansas Kentucky Hawaii Ala
bama Alaska Representatives from NCDB HKNCNFADB
DB-LINK
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The National Intervener Task Force agreed to
focus its efforts in the following five areas
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The Intervener in Early Intervention and
Educational Settings for Children and Youth with
Deafblindness (Alsop, Blaha, and Kloos, 2002)
DVD - Deafblindness andthe Intervener
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• Works consistently one-on-one with a student
  who is deafblind.

• Who has training and specialized skills
  related to deaf- blindness.

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• Facilitate access to the environmental
  information usually gained through vision and
  hearing, but which is unavailable or
  incomplete to the individual who is deafblind.

• Facilitate the development and/or use of
  receptive and expressive communication skills
  by the individual who is deafblind.

• Develop and maintain a trusting, interactive
  relationship that can promote social and
  emotional well-being.

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• Information dissemination
• DB-LINK information
• Presentations at conferences and discussion
  groups
• Articles
• Intervener Community of Practice
• Listserv

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The group also drafted a request which was given
to the National Coalition on Deafblindness. It
stated As members of the National Intervener
Task Force, we strongly support the attached
mission statement. We are committed to the
practice of using trained Interveners with
children and youth who are deafblind as a related
service. We request that the Coalition advocate
for the addition of the term intervener to be
included as a related service in the
reauthorization of IDEA. In addition, we
recognize the need for the availability of
federal funds to support research, training, and
systems change related to this practice, and ask
for the support of the Coalition in obtaining
dedicated funding.
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• To provide national visibility, clarity, and
  understanding of the practice of using trained
  Interveners with children and youth who are
  deafblind
• To establish the practice as an acceptable,
  credible, and enduring option of support for
  children and youth who are deafblind

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Data and Information on Child Impact

• VIP Study 1989-1992
• Grants have been submitted to OSEP and NIH to
  study the impact of interveners on individuals
  who are deafblind.
• Qualitative data is available.

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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.
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• Members of the National Intervener Parent Group
• Melanie Knapp, TX
• Cheryl Levasseur, MA
• Vivecca Hartman, TX
• Sally Prouty, MN
• Kim Lauger, AZ
• Brenda Rowley, UT

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Competencies for Training Interveners to Work
with Children/Students with Deafblindness (2003)
A Validation of the SKI-HI Competencies for
Training Interveners to Work With Students with
Deafblindness (NTAC 2004)
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Recommendations on the Training of
Intervenersfor Students who are Deafblind(2004)
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Interveners in the Classroom Guidelines for Teams
Working With Students Who Are Deafblind(2007)
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Inservice Training State Deafblind Projects
Preservice TrainingOnline training program in
deafblindness to train paraprofessionals to be
interveners Utah State University (Certificate
of Completion or Associates Degree) East
Carolina University (Certificate of Completion)
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• In 2008, the Council for Exceptional Children
  (CEC) approved Intervener Competencies and
  established an Intervener SPA (Specialized
  Professional Association) within CEC.
• The Intervener SPA will be listed in the CEC Red
  Book.
• This recognizes the knowledge and skills needed
  by Interveners and establishes standards for
  training programs.
• The National Consortium on Deafblindness -
  Personnel Prep Consortium facilitated these
  efforts.

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National Credentialing of Interveners through the
Academy for Certification of Vision
Rehabilitation and Education Professionals
(ACVREP) Garett Holm, President Work Group
Jon Harding, KS - NCDB Jenny Lace, TX - DB
Project Linda McDowell, MS - DB Project,
Personnel Prep Cyral Miller, TX - DB
Project Linda Alsop, UT - Personnel Prep
Melanie Knapp, TX - Parent Ann Bielert, TX -
Intervener Maurice Belote, CA - DB Project Karen
Goehl, IN - DB Project Alana Zambone, NC -
Personnel Prep
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• Development of materials for State Deafblind
  Projects
• Development of Materials for Families

Work Group
Lyn Ayres, OR Diane Kelly, MD Jon Harding,
NCDB Linda Alsop, UT
Cindi Robinson, AZToni Hollingworth, MSMaurice
Belote, CATracy Luiselli, MA
National Intervener Parent Group
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