For Educators
The Virginia Project for Children and Young Adults with Deaf-Blindness strives to improve content knowledge and skill in deaf-blindness for teachers, parents, service providers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and other educators working with students with a dual sensory loss. We provide teams with professional development opportunities that are customized to meet their students' needs. We offer training programs by combining online resources with on-site or distance coaching/consultation to promote implementation of evidence-based practices.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (TA) AND TRAINING
Technical Assistance (TA) includes training and consultation in specific knowledge and skills needed when working with a student with deaf-blindness. These specific areas include, but are not limited to, communication, language, social skills, behavior, and transition. We work with each team to determine the type of TA and training content appropriate that will support improved skills for the educational team and outcomes for the student.
Examples of Trainings Offered:
Overview of Deaf-blindness: Participants will learn about the impact of deaf-blindness on access to information and specific strategies to support learning. Participants will be provided with information about supports and resources on deaf-blindness that are available for educational teams.
Communication Kickoff: Participants will develop an understanding of communication modes used by students with deaf-blindness, understand how to use the Communication Matrix to assess students who are early communicators and use the results to develop an individualized education plan.
***Please be advised that trainings listed above are just examples of trainings offered but are not limited to these topics. ***
INTERVENER TRAINING
What is an intervener?
An intervener is a professional who works consistently with a student who is deaf-blindness and has specialized training and skills in deaf-blindness. An intervener provides their students with access to auditory and visual information that may be missed because of their sensory loss.
The National Intervener Certification E-portfolio
What is the National Intervener Certification E-portfolio (N.I.C.E.)?
The National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) and the Paraprofessional Resource and Research Center (PAR2A Center), with support from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), are pleased to announce a national certification system for interveners. The National Intervener Certification E-portfolio (NICE) System is an assessment process that interveners can use to submit evidence of their knowledge and skills. The evidence, which consists of digital documentation such as video samples, described pictures, and other documents from the intervener’s training and practice, is evaluated by expert reviewers in the field of deaf-blindness. The process is aligned with the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Knowledge and Skills Competencies for Interveners (PDF).
Applying for NICE Certification: Policies and Procedures (PDF)
Portfolios are scored by at least two trained reviewers who are members of the NICE Review Board. All certification determinations are made by the Paraprofessional Resource and Research Center, which manages portfolio submissions, the NICE Review Board, and scoring.
For more information on training opportunities, including Intervener Certification, please contact Ira Padhye (iapadhye@vcu.edu)