Beginning in July, the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) and The National Family Association for Deaf-Blind (NFADB) began offering a free online training for parents with children who are deaf-blind. The training uses a module from the Open Hands Open Access (OHOA) Deaf-Blind Intervener Learning Modules developed by NCDB. Parents are learning about interveners, the professionals who facilitate learning and skill development by acting as a bridge between the child who is deaf-blind and the environment. The cohort of parents spend 1 to 2 hours per week for 5  weeks learning about the role of interveners, the principles of interventio,  and how interveners function as members of a student’s educational team.

Together, NFADB and NCDB feel that this endeavor will advance their shared goals of empowering parents and increasing recognition and acceptance of the use of intervener services for students with deaf-blindness.