Abstract
According to the National Child Count of Children Who Are Deaf-Blind, 9,094 children (age birth through 21 years) were identified as having deaf blindness in the United States in 2018 (National Center on Deaf-Blindness, 2019). An essential service for children who are deafblind are interveners, who are uniquely trained paraeducators who provide consistent one-to-one support. They support students in gaining access to information, the environment, communication, conceptual learning, and in facilitating the development of students’ social and emotional well-being. Despite its being an essential service for many children who are deafblind, according to the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) only 726 (7%) are reported to receive intervener services (2019). One reason for this low number may be a lack of structured national guidelines to support intervener services. Likewise, only a few U.S. states recognize interveners as a related service or include interveners in state special education administrative rules (National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness, 2012). To be considered a related service, a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) team must have determined that intervener services are appropriate for the child given his or her abilities and needs (Ryder, 2018).
Many state deaf-blind projects are engaged in efforts to increase recognition, adoption, and training of interveners in their states (National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness, 2012). Some have focused on advocacy and influencing regulatory and legislative processes, while others have developed programs and training to help build capacity and promote examples of exemplary practice (National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness, 2020). Additionally, recognition of intervener training is currently offered through the National Intervener Certification E-Portfolio (NICE) and the National Intervener Credential. Both the certificate and the credential are based on competencies developed by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Special Education Paraeducator Intervener for Individuals with Deafblindness (Council for Exceptional Children, 2015). In the United States, training is provided by four online university programs and programs administered by several state deaf-blind projects. Those successfully completing training from these programs can pursue NICE certification.
Despite these efforts, a number of barriers make it challenging for some participants to remain engaged and complete intervener training and certification. For example, when state deaf-blind projects have hosted virtual intervener training, approximately 50%–80% of participants did not complete it (M. Belote, M. Clyne, E. Nelson, C. Russell, personal communication, April 13, 2018). The problems cited include time, lack of support, isolation, and lack of incentive. Some say they have received little acknowledgment for completing the training and no additional compensation. Officially, each training module should take approximately 8 hours to complete (National Center on Deaf-Blindness, n.d.); however, facilitators have reported a complete range of 4.8–10.7 hours (NCDB), which is particularly true when the training is online and completed independently.
Furthermore, inherent in any rigorous certification process are barriers to completion. The primary obstacle for NICE certification is a lack of incentive caused by a lack of recognition. Most states do not recognize interveners or a national certification and, therefore, obtaining NICE certification may not result in remuneration, promotion, or acknowledgment of such an accomplishment. Another barrier could be the amount of time and effort required to complete an e-portfolio, a required step in the certification process. After completing comprehensive training, the idea of taking on another intensive process could be overwhelming. Finally, there are times when individuals serving as interveners are placed in a different setting that does not include a student who is deafblind, thus precluding them from completing an e-portfolio.
To determine the effectiveness of an alternative one-year training program designed to respond in part to barriers to intervener adoption, recognition, and more effective training, NCDB conducted the Intervener Training Pilot Project (ITPP) from September 2017 through May 2018. The purposes of the project were to determine whether this training would reduce attrition, help participants better understand their role as interveners, and provide the knowledge and skills needed to achieve NICE certification. Therefore, to examine the training program's effectiveness, the ITPP examined the following variables: attrition, quality of the program, and successful NICE completion.
Methods
The ITPP included high-quality, module-based information, and skills training, an expert in deaf blindness as the instructor, synchronous one-hour class meetings, one-to-one mentoring by state deaf-blind project personnel, cohorts based on participant experience, and training in e-portfolio preparation. The synchronous meetings were used to help build community as well as to extend learning in specific areas, facilitate discussions between participants, and provide individual support. Additionally, participants had a high level of communication with and access to the instructor, mentors, and classmates. For example, the instructor frequently contacted participants regarding such issues as their engagement with the course materials, course reminders, and extra encouragement during holidays and school breaks. Likewise, modifications to traditional coursework were employed, such as discussion boards and assignments in American Sign Language via YouTube. To ensure that participants were learning and successfully applying the intervener strategies covered in the training, the instructor communicated with NCDB and the state deaf-blind projects throughout the training regarding participant progress.
The training program syllabus, which was created by NCDB, incorporated the Open Hands, Open Access (OHOA) Intervener Training Modules. The OHOA modules are a national resource designed to increase awareness, knowledge, and skills related to intervention for students who are deafblind and served in educational settings. Created by a diverse group of deaf blindness experts, the OHOA modules were designed to be used in comprehensive intervener training programs (National Center on Deaf-Blindness, n.d.). The modules can be accessed as a web-based program and through a learning management system.
The ITPP training was intended not only to train interveners but also to prepare them to successfully complete the NICE certification process. Therefore, after completing the OHOA modules, the participants worked through two NICE modules, which provided information on the certification process, including how to document evidence of one's learning in an e-portfolio using evidence such as videos, images, and other materials from training and practice. NICE Module 1 details how to use the e-portfolio to demonstrate competency, and NICE Module 2 describes the e-portfolio online platform, Venture.
NCDB hosted and administered the OHOA and NICE training modules and provided technical assistance to participating state projects. The state deaf-blind projects helped recruit participants and provided coaching, mentoring, and consultation during the training and certification process. Project participants initially completed a self-evaluation of knowledge and skills and a program agreement form and then met with their mentor to discuss the self-evaluation, the ITPP training, and the plan for the upcoming year.
Participants
ITPP participants were recruited through state deaf-blind project announcements and emails. All participants were working in schools as paraeducators, but none had received systematic training in intervener practices. Likewise, they had varied levels of experience working with individuals who were deafblind. To be accepted into the training program, participants had to be actively working with a student who was deafblind and with an established educational team that supported the student. Additionally, the participant's district administration agreed to support the intervener position and provide additional support for the participant during training (e.g., release time, stipend, team planning time). Finally, the participant, educational team, and district administration agreed to work with the state deaf-blind project throughout the ITPP.
A total of 27 individuals across ten states registered for the ITPP; however, 7 withdrew before the program began. As a result, 20 participants completed the program.
Participants were placed into one of three cohorts based on their background and experience with deaf blindness (see Table 1). To determine cohort placement, NCDB and state deaf-blind project staff members discussed each participant's work and volunteer experience, prior training, and their self-evaluation. Each cohort was designed to include synchronous sessions including a welcome and introduction to the training project, the two NICE modules, and a wrap-up of the training (see Table 2). The modules and synchronous training content topics (e.g., behavior) were chosen to provide the intervener candidates with the information they would need to meet CEC intervener competencies.
ITPP Cohort Descriptions.
ITPP Cohort Modules and Synchronous Meeting Topics.
Note: NICE = National Intervener Certification E-Portfolio.
Cohort 1
Cohort 1 was for participants who had little to no experience with students who are deafblind. This group completed 14 OHOA modules. The content included the impact of deaf blindness on learning (six modules), communication (two modules), promoting learning (three modules), preparing for adult life (one module), and professionalism (two modules). Other sessions incorporated extended learning on concept development topics, nonsymbolic and symbolic communication, and behavior.
Cohort 2
Cohort 2 was for participants with some experience with deaf blindness. These participants completed nine OHOA training modules, including many of those used for Cohort 1. The Cohort 2 synchronous sessions included additional instruction on concept development and behavior.
Cohort 3
Cohort 3 was for individuals with an extensive amount of experience with students who are deafblind. These participants completed eight OHOA training modules. Their synchronous meetings included additional instruction on concept development.
At the end of the training, a survey was sent to each participating state deaf-blind project and to each participant who successfully completed the training (participants, n = 7; state deaf-blind projects, n = 5). The surveys included questions about the participant's preparation to perform their job as an intervener, the most helpful parts of the program, suggestions for improvement, and overall satisfaction with the program.
Results and Discussion
Attrition
Of the 20 participants in the ITPP training, 83% completed the program, significantly higher than online training completion rates typically reported by state deaf-blind projects (M. Belote, M. Clyne, E. Nelson, C. Russell, personal communication, April 13, 2018; see Table 3). Of the four participants who did not complete the training, all were from Cohort 1. Reasons for withdrawal included health, job changes, and a lack of hands-on opportunity with a student who was deafblind. No participants from Cohorts 2 or 3 withdrew, suggesting that experience and a role in the field might contribute to more engagement and success in a training program.
ITPP Participants.
The low attrition rate for the ITPP training may be attributed to several factors as indicated by survey responses: the development of relationships between the host and participants (i.e., synchronous meetings and discussion boards), high levels of communication, and the use of OHOA modules, including the assignments. The attribute of the training that was most highly rated by participants from their survey was the synchronous meetings. This is where participants could extend their learning and, more importantly, engage with the instructor and their peers. (More information on the lessons learned about increasing engagement in online intervener training can be found on the NCDB website, https://www.nationaldb.org/media/doc/Increasing-Engagement-Interveners.pdf.)
Certification
Achievement of NICE certification at the end of the ITPP training and state deaf-blind project mentoring, means the participant has evidence of intervener knowledge and skills based on the CEC's competencies. Out of the 20 who finished the ITPP, ten registered for NICE certification. At the time of this writing, five were in the process of developing their e-portfolios and six had obtained their intervener certificate (see Table 4).
ITPP Completers Pursuing NICE Certification.
Note: Registration for NICE indicates that the candidate has simply registered in the system but has not completed a portfolio and submitted it for review.
Program Feedback
Surveys were distributed using SurveyGizmo. State deaf-blind projects were asked seven questions (see Appendix A). In their survey responses, state deaf-blind projects said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that their participant or participants were better prepared to perform their job as interveners. They indicated that the most helpful parts of the ITPP training included using the modules as teaching tools, having synchronous meetings, and interacting with their intervener candidate or candidates. Two suggestions were made for improvement: lengthen the training program (e.g., expand to two years rather than one) and provide instruction and training on how to conduct distance training and mentoring. Overall, 100% of state deaf-blind projects responded that they were satisfied with the program and felt it was of high quality (see Appendix A).
Participants were issued a similar survey (see Appendix B). Participant survey responses were equally encouraging. For example, when asked if they felt better prepared to perform their job as an intervener, 92% answered “strongly agree” or “agree.” Recommendations included providing more information about data collection, instructional strategies, environmental conditions, and accommodations for students with cochlear implants. Participants said the most helpful parts of the program were using the modules as teaching tools, the assignments, and interaction with the host. All participants indicated they were highly satisfied with the program and that it was of high quality (see Appendix B).
Conclusion
This pilot project had three purposes: to examine the completion rate of participants engaged in an online intervener training program, to evaluate the effectiveness of the ITPP training, and to determine the ability of the participants to obtain NICE certification after completion of the training. Although there was some attrition, the overall number of participants who completed the program was much higher than previously reported by online training programs administered by state deaf-blind projects (M. Belote, M. Clyne, E. Nelson, C. Russell, personal communication, April 13, 2018), indicating that a program such as the ITPP can (1) successfully impart the knowledge and skills one needs to improve their skills as an intervener, (2) reduce attrition of participants, and (3) prepare individuals to subsequently complete a rigorous certification process based on national standards. Replication of the ITPP by state deafblind projects and other entities could be an important option for intervener training.
All the materials created for the ITPP are available for free online and have been used by several state deaf-blind projects and other entities to provide professional development and training. Systems change efforts that target the recognition and adoption of interveners as an educational service are ongoing across the United States. Incorporating intervener training programs such as this one can more effectively prepare individuals to provide this essential one-on-one support for children and youth who are deafblind.
Supplemental Material
sj-docx-1-jvb-10.1177_0145482X221121353 - Supplemental material for The Online National Intervener Training Pilot Project
Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-jvb-10.1177_0145482X221121353 for The Online National Intervener Training Pilot Project by Kristi M. Probst and Sam Morgan in Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness
Supplemental Material
sj-docx-2-jvb-10.1177_0145482X221121353 - Supplemental material for The Online National Intervener Training Pilot Project
Supplemental material, sj-docx-2-jvb-10.1177_0145482X221121353 for The Online National Intervener Training Pilot Project by Kristi M. Probst and Sam Morgan in Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness
Footnotes
Authors’ Note
This article's contents do not necessarily represent U.S. Department of Education policy and should not indicate endorsement by the Federal Government.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article: This article's contents were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education H326T180026.
Supplemental material
Supplemental material for this article is available online.
References
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