VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
conducted a review of existing definitions and documents, including the key
definition described by Alsop et al. (2000, p. 7), as well as extensive input from
multiple stakeholders. Based on this information, a definition was created, first
published in 2013, and then updated in 2018 and 2021.
In addition, in 2016, NCDB collaborated with state deaf-blind project
personnel and family and university representatives to develop a guide for IEP
teams to help them determine if an intervener was appropriate for a student with
deaf-blindness. Are Intervener Services Appropriate for Your Student With Deaf-
Blindness?: An IEP Team Discussion Guide was based on existing documents
produced by state deaf-blind projects, with one by the Texas Deafblind Project
being the primary source. The guide aims to help teams determine if intervener
services should be provided for a student as part of their related services and
supplementary aids and services. Because intervener services are not specifically
listed as a related service in IDEA, in 2018, Linda McDowell, NCDB's director at
that time, asked OSEP for clarification. In response, Ruth E. Ryder, OSEP's acting
director, provided informal guidance in a letter stating, "If the IEP Team
determines that a particular service, including the services of an intervener, is an
appropriate related service for a child and is required to enable the child to receive
FAPE, the Team's determination must be reflected in the child's IEP, and the
