VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 3
was the Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) program, followed by the Teacher
of the Deaf (TOD) program in 2019 and the Intervener Certificate program in
2020. The final prong in this multi-pronged effort is the establishment of the new
Certificate in Deafblindness Education in fall of 2024. The Certificate in
Deafblindness Education was developed to address the unique needs of children
and youth who are deafblind and is the first program of its kind in Ohio and one of
the few that exist in the nation. The program will provide working professionals in
the low incidence areas or special education with the specialized skills and
knowledge they need to provide services for children and youth with dual sensory
loss.
Program Development
The Certificate in Deafblindness Education was developed over two years
through a collaborative process and included partners from the Ohio Center for
Deafblind Education, the Ohio Deans Compact Low Incidence committee
members, Shawnee State University faculty, and low incidence experts from the
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Once consensus was reached on
how to move forward with development, the team conducted an analysis of
existing programs across the country. The findings of the nationwide analysis
uncovered the following:
