VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 1
scope of this competency revision process. Interveners provide essential
supports to students with deafblindness in accessing people and
information in the world around them. The first challenge of students who
are deafblind is having consistent access to communication partners that
recognize their communicative initiations and respond throughout their day.
Like teachers of students who are deafblind, interveners must possess
specific competencies to appropriately support students in diverse
contexts.
Proposed Professional Roles
Teacher of Students who are Deafblind: Responsibilities and
Competencies
Teachers of students who are deafblind are special educators with
specialized preparation specific to deafblindness that allows them to:
• Identify children who are deafblind to support the provision of
appropriate augmentation of vision and hearing, and early
individualized intervention services (Anthony, 2016; Parker,
McGinnity, & Bruce, 2012).
• Apply knowledge about the implications of each child's etiology
(such as impact on health, vision, hearing, and social-emotional
well-being) when planning and implementing individualized
