VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
an intervener position for Daisy, after she had shown enough regression. She
finally received her first full time intervener in late middle school.
Daisy reentered my life this year thanks to a community intervener pilot
program. She now receives 10 hours a month of community intervener services
from me. When I enter the house, she grabs my hand and drags me to the door
signing, "swing", "ready", and "shoes" and wants to go to the park.
Until interveners become categorized as related service providers there is
very little to ensure that children who are deafblind will receive intervener
services. These students are often not able to progress because of the limited
training and skills of the educators who work with them. It takes someone with
specialized training in deafblindness to fill the role of an intervener. Unfortunately,
paraeducators are often expected to fill these roles instead of a trained intervener.
When this happens, schools must require that paraeducators achieve intervener
status through completing a higher education intervener training program, and then
offer them competitive pay that reflects their expertise.
Because of Daisy's deafblindness and additional disabilities, others had
limited expectations for her. She should have been given an intervener when she
first entered school at five years of age. Instead, she had to wait until she was 12
years old to receive a full-time intervener. She lost seven years of access to
education, access to her environment, and access to relationships with others. Like
