Presented by: Linda Alsop Cyral Miller Maurice Belote Alana Zambone

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

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. 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.

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

Wisconsin Florida South Dakota Illinois Arkansas Nebraska Texas Utah Arizona Washington Pennsylvania California Virginia West Virginia Mississippi Maryland Oregon North Carolina Minnesota Vermont National Intervener Task Force Participants: Massachusetts/New England Center New York New Jersey Indiana Colorado Kansas Kentucky Hawaii Alabama Alaska Representatives from: NCDB HKNC NFADB DB-LINK

The National Intervener Task Force agreed to focus its efforts in the following five areas:

“The Intervener in Early Intervention and Educational Settings for Children and Youth with Deafblindness” (Alsop, Blaha, and Kloos, 2002) DVD - “Deafblindness and the Intervener”

Works consistently one-on-one with a student who is deafblind. Who has training and specialized skills related to deaf- blindness.

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.

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

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.”

 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

 VIP Study  Grants have been submitted to OSEP and NIH to study the impact of interveners on individuals who are deafblind.  Qualitative data is available. Data and Information on Child Impact

A National Intervener Parent Group was formed in 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.”

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

“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)

“Recommendations on the Training of Interveners for Students who are Deafblind” (2004)

Interveners in the Classroom Guidelines for Teams Working With Students Who Are Deafblind (2007)

Inservice Training: State Deafblind Projects Preservice Training: O nline training program in deafblindness to train paraprofessionals to be interveners Utah State University (Certificate of Completion or Associate’s Degree) East Carolina University (Certificate of Completion)

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.

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

 Development of materials for State Deafblind Projects  Development of Materials for Families Lyn Ayres, OR Diane Kelly, MD Jon Harding, NCDB Linda Alsop, UT Cindi Robinson, AZ Toni Hollingworth, MS Maurice Belote, CA Tracy Luiselli, MA Work Group: National Intervener Parent Group