VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 1
Teacher of the Deafblind (TDB) and the paraprofessional Intervener
(Parker & Nelson, 2016; What Every Special Educator Should Know,
2015). While currently recognized in few states, the TDB fulfills many
important roles in the education of children who are deafblind. The TDB
can serve as a classroom teacher or as an itinerant teacher who visits
many classes containing children who are deafblind. The TDB is charged
with collaboratively assessing the needs of children who are deafblind and
then making sure that the assessments are appropriately used in the
development of individual education programs (IEPs). The TDB also helps
to coach other team members to understand the interplay of deafblindness
with each of the other disabilities so that educational opportunities can be
maximized (Parker & Nelson, 2016). An intervener is typically a
paraprofessional who has received specific training in deafblindness but
who works under the direction of a licensed professional to help provide the
child with access to the environment that he or she cannot hear and/or see,
provide access to communication, provide experiences that lead to concept
development, provide emotional support and help others interact with the
child who is deafblind. In some instances, interveners who have earned
professional credentials as interpreters are recruited to meet the specific
communication needs of students who are deafblind (National Consortium
