VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
children who are deafblind. Due to this unique position, SDBPs have a uniquely
intimate understanding of the needs of this population.
Part of the charge of the SDBPs, as detailed in the "Notice Inviting
Applications (NIA)", is to address the need of interveners as a means of access and
support for learners who are deafblind. An integral role of the intervener is to
support the development of reciprocal communication skills for students with
deafblindness. Access to communication is inextricably tied to the student's quality
of life (Sacks & Zatta, 2016). Communication impacts all areas of a child's life,
including developing social relationships, access to literacy, educational access,
and opportunities for higher academia and/or career readiness. If these unique
learning needs are not addressed, children with deafblindness are at risk for falling
far behind their peers in content acquisition and the development of overall world
knowledge, thus leading to potential exclusion from the classroom, family, and
community.
Introduction
In July 2022, a survey was sent to all U.S. Department of Education, Office
of Special Education Programs (OSEP) - funded State Deafblind Projects (SDBPs).
The purpose of this article is to summarize what was gleaned in regards to the
current practices of the SDBPs related to interveners and intervener training. The
authors' summary of the results revealed many important facts regarding the
