VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
increased attention focused on the use and training of interveners. (pp. 136-
137)
On a national level, it's critical that intervener services be recognized in the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as a related service for children
who are deafblind, just as interpreter services are designated as a related service for
children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Current legislation - the Alice Cogswell
and Anne Sullivan Macy Act (H.R. 1959 & S. 813) - contains language that
supports the addition of intervener services under the related services category in
IDEA. Additionally, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recognizes
the value of designating intervener services as related services in the IEP process.
In an informal guidance letter dated August 2, 2018, Ruth E. Ryder, then the
Acting Director of OSEP, addressed the question of whether intervener services
could be considered related services, even though interveners are not specifically
identified in the list of examples of related services in IDEA, by stating:
The Department's long standing interpretation is that the list of related
services in the IDEA and the Part B regulations is not meant to be
exhaustive and may include other developmental, corrective, or supportive
services, if they are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from
special education in order for the child to receive a free appropriate public
education (FAPE). … If the IEP Team determines that a particular service,
