VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
academic advances, all gears grinded to a halt. Ivey's education was impeded due
to educators lacking the experience and training needed for a student with complex
learning needs due to multiple disabilities, including deafblindness.
It is important to note that as Ivey transitioned from Babies Can't Wait to
McHenry Primary School, we secured a one-to-one paraprofessional to assist Ivey
in the classroom. The paraprofessional faced incredible resistance from many of
Ivey's service providers and administration. And even though the Georgia Sensory
Assistance Project (GSAP), Georgia's deafblind project, was coming to the school
periodically to train the paraprofessional and staff, it was not enough to keep up
with Ivey's pace. In addition, the paraprofessional, whom we highly respected, was
not the right fit for Ivey. With the assistance of Linda Alsop and GSAP, midway
through Ivey's time at McHenry Primary, we made the official push for an
intervener.
It is at this point that Mrs. Stephanie Garrett entered Ivey's world. Stephanie
served as Ivey's one-to-one paraprofessional while she completed the Intervener
Training Program through Utah State University. The moment I signed my name to
the IEP upon Stephanie completing her coursework to be a nationally credentialed
intervener, angels sang with joy and trumpets sounded. That day, the key players at
the IEP table all understood the significance of the moment. Yes, there were even a
