Building a Path to Access and Learning for a Student who is DeafBlind
Students who are DeafBlind face unique barriers to learning and communication. Paraprofessionals who are equipped with specialized training in deafblindness and the process of intervention can ensure students have access to communication, learning, people, and their environment throughout the school day. This dedicated role is called a DeafBlind Intervener.
What Is DeafBlindness?
Deafblindness is a disability referring to any combination of hearing and vision loss. While each child who is DeafBlind is different, they all need specific tools, strategies, and support to gather information, access learning, and communicate with others.
Do you know someone with both hearing and vision loss in Louisiana?
Contact the Louisiana DeafBlind Project via email at LADBP@lsuhsc.edu or click this link to complete our contact form.
The Role of an Intervener
“An intervener is someone that acts as a bridge between the student who is deaf and blind and the rest of the world,” Destinie, a Certified DeafBlind Intervener, describes. As Special Education Supervisor Alison Gros sees it, the intervener allows kids, “in the least restrictive way, … an opportunity to learn in more typical learning environments.” Destinie works one-on-one in elementary student Josephine’s classroom to provide access to information and communication and to facilitate the development of her social and emotional well-being.
Destinie was initially a paraprofessional and substitute teacher in St. Bernard Parish. School administrators identified Destinie to become an intervener for Josephine, who has CHARGE syndrome. While Destinie worked with Josephine, she underwent ongoing training and mentorship with the Louisiana DeafBlind Project (LADBP) to become nationally certified.
Destinie’s ability to facilitate communication and foster independence has allowed Josephine to participate in typical classroom learning and work toward the same standards as her peers.
Want to know more about Interveners?
Visit the National Center on DeafBlindness:
Click here for Family Resources.
Click here to learn more about the DeafBlind Intervener training.
Why It Matters
Students who are DeafBlind can succeed when they have access, communication, and connection. Interveners play a vital role in making that possible by ensuring children like Josephine are not just present in the classroom, but truly learning, engaging, and belonging. “It’s exciting,” Destinie says, “to be directly involved with the student’s growth. It’s fulfilling to… see them explore the world in a way they couldn’t before.”
If you are the parent or teacher of a child who is DeafBlind, contact your State DeafBlind Project to learn more about options for intervener training in your school. Click here to find your State DeafBlind Project.
If you're in Louisiana, contact the Louisiana DeafBlind Project via email at LADBP@lsuhsc.edu or click this link to complete our contact form
About State DeafBlind Projects
Parents and educators typically don’t know where to start when they learn a child is DeafBlind. Fortunately, each state has a DeafBlind Project that supports children and youth who have varying degrees of vision and hearing loss. State DeafBlind Projects are part of a federally funded national network that provides no-cost training and consultation to families of DeafBlind children ages 0-22 and the professionals who serve them. “There’s nobody else that does this for kids who have these kinds of challenges, Josephine’s mother Jill says, “Get in touch with your DeafBlind Project.”
Click here to learn more about the Louisiana DeafBlind Project