VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
State, and Dr. Wendy Sapp) during this transition period. Even still, it was a huge
learning curve, and I cannot help but feel that Ivey's growth was inhibited by this
time spent in bringing me up to speed. I was in the classroom teacher/case manager
role for Ivey for two school years, and then I transitioned to the role of her teacher
of the visually impaired. This meant a new case manager for Ivey, which meant
another year of transition and bringing the classroom teacher up to speed. It was
frustrating to watch the transition unfold from my new position, because I could
see that Ivey was once again in a place of limbo, which meant her educational
programming was not optimized. When there is no clear "hub," or when the "hub"
is not knowledgeable about the student's needs, it can be a struggle for team
members to know what specifically they are expected to contribute. Mrs. Stephanie
Garrett, Ivey's intervener, shared that "when the classroom teacher was the case
manager I always felt caught in the middle between team members. This in turn
caused tension between myself, teachers, related service providers, and the parents.
This was, in my opinion, caused by the lack of understanding of the role of the
intervener as compared to that of a paraprofessional, as well as the lack of
knowledge in deafblind practices."
It was in this midst of yet another transition struggle that Ivey's parents met
with central office level staff to request a case manager for Ivey who was familiar
with her IEP and her needs as they relate to deafblindness. A case manager for a
