{"id":2073,"date":"2021-11-18T21:56:06","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T21:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/?page_id=2073"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:00:25","slug":"faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/intervener\/faq\/","title":{"rendered":"Intervener FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a>\u200bWhat is an intervener?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An intervener is a person who works consistently one-to-one with an individual who is deafblind.  An intervener has training and specialized skills in working with an individual with deafblindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bHow do we include an intervener on the IEP?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once the team has determined the need for an intervener, it would be documented under Related Services.  OSEP has identified interveners as a related service for a child who has combined vision and hearing loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letter to McDowell<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bHow do you write the intervener as a related service in the IEP?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

DPI has recommended including the words, \u201chas completed or is currently enrolled in a nationally credentialed intervener training program\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bHow is an intervener different from a paraprofessional or an interpreter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An intervener is an individual who has specialized training in Deafblindness.  The individual provides one on one support to a student who is deafblind to provide equal access to communication and the environment.  Oftentimes it is a paraeducator or educational interpreter that is currently supporting the student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chart provides a comparison of the similarities and differences of an intervener, paraprofessional, and an interpreter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparison of Possible Supports for Students Who Are Deafblind<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chart compares the roles of an intervener and a paraprofessional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparison of interveners and paraprofessionals<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bIf the student already has the need for an interpreter, can the interpreter be the intervener too?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, as long as the interpreter is currently enrolled in or has completed training in a nationally credentialed intervener training program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bDoes WDBTAP have additional funding for districts to pay for interveners?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WDBTAP does not have funding to pay the salary of an intervener, but they do offer scholarships for training.  Additionally, WDBTAP can provide ongoing support to interveners in the field and to the school district on the use of an intervener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bWouldn\u2019t having a one on one intervener create dependency for a child in school?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The role of an intervener is an interdependent relationship.  The intervener is providing the child with combined vision and hearing loss the same access that their hearing and sighted peers have.  A large part of the curriculum in the intervener coursework is to \u201cdo with<\/em>\u201d the child and \u201cnot for<\/em>\u201d the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bHow long has the role of intervener been around?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Historically speaking, Annie Sullivan was an intervener for Helen Keller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bWho can be an intervener?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who has the desire to work with a child who is identified as deafblind, completes or agrees to complete a nationally credentialed intervener program, and has the skill set to meet the unique needs of a specific student as identified in the IEP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bDo all students who are deafblind require an intervener?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No.  Every student with deafblindness is unique.  It is up to the IEP team to determine whether or not a student with deafblindness may benefit from an intervener.  Resources to help with that determination can be found here: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparison of Possible Supports for Students Who Are Deafblind<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comparison of interveners and paraprofessionals<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determining the Need for an Intervener in Educational Settings <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Intervener Services Appropriate for Your Student With Deaf-Blindness? An IEP Team Discussion Guide<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bDoes an intervener need to be trained?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes. The Council for Exceptional Children has included a list of competencies required of someone acting as an intervener in the classroom.  That information can be found here: CEC Intervener Competencies<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bWhat does the intervener training program entail?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The program consists of 3 courses.  The first two courses are offered as online asynchronous classes.  Each of the courses includes reading assignments, videos to watch, and written homework assignments.  On average, people have reported they spend about 4 hours a week on the coursework.  The 3rd course is a practicum.  The practicum is done with the child who is deafblind that you are working with.  During the practicum, you take part in 3 coaching sessions, meet with the professor and complete a portfolio of your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bWhat does a school do if an intervener is sick?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many school districts opt to train a secondary person to be an intervener in the case when the primary intervener is not available.  In the situation when the primary intervener is unavailable and there is no secondary intervener it would be important to have someone familiar with the student and someone the student is familiar with act in that capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u200bIs there an agency or program where I can hire someone that has been trained as an intervener?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No.  Currently, WDBTAP supports the training of individuals that are actively supporting a student who has been identified as deafblind as documented on the IEP and is on the WDBTAP federal registry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u200bWhat is an intervener? An intervener is a person who works consistently one-to-one with an individual who is deafblind.  An intervener has training and specialized skills in working with an individual with deafblindness. \u200bHow do we include an intervener on the IEP? Once the team has determined the need for an intervener, it would be documented under Related Services.  OSEP has identified interveners as a related service for a child<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2042,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_mc_calendar":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2073","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2073"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3693,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2073\/revisions\/3693"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wesp-dhh.wi.gov\/wdbtap\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}