VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
who are deaf-blind, professional organizations and universities, and NCDB staff
also provides input and guidance regarding the NICE process. The PAR
2
A Center
manages portfolio submissions, the NICE Review Board, and scoring, and makes
all certification determinations.
Support for Interveners
In 2019, NCDB began collaborating with individuals and agencies in the
U.S. and Canada on a planning committee to develop an Intervener/or Community
of Practice (the "er/or" suffix represents the different spellings of the term in each
country). Participants included individuals from state deaf-blind projects;
intervener training programs in the U.S. and Canada; the Provincial Outreach
Program for Students with Deafblindness in Richmond, British Columbia; the
Canadian Deafblind Association in British Columbia; the Intervenor Organization
of Ontario; the PAR
2
A Center; and the National Resource Center for
Paraeducators. The first activities began in 2022 with online get-togethers of more
than 30 interveners from the US, Canada, and several other countries. Activities
included small- and large-group discussions, presentations, and socializing. The
planning committee hopes to recruit interveners to take over the leadership of this
community of practice.