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The Cogswell-Macy Act:Training Teachers of theDeafblind and Deafblind
Interveners
Presented by Linda Alsop, Utah State UniversityWednesday, June 24, 2020
Webinar
Copyright 2020 SKI-HI Institute
The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan-Macy Act
• 113th Congress (2013-2014). Title I & II– H.R.4040 Sponsor: Representative Matt Cartwright [D-PA-17)+21 co-sponsors
• 114th Congress (2015-2016) Title I, II & III– H.R.3535 Sponsor: Representative Matt Cartwright [D-PA-17) +43 co-sponsors
• 115th Congress (2017-2018) Title I, II & III– H.R.1120 Sponsor: Representative Matt Cartwright [D-PA-17) +48 co-sponsors – S.2087 Sponsor: Senator Edward Markey [D-MA] + 1 co-sponsor
• 116th Congress (2019 -2020) Title I, II & III – H.R. 4822 Sponsor: Representative Matt Cartwright [D-PA-17) +20 co-sponsors*– S.2681 Sponsor: Senator Edward Markey [D-MA] +3 co-sponsors**
• *Rep. McKinley, David B. [R-WV-1]Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]Rep. Lujan, Ben Ray [D-NM-3]Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-52]Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28]Rep. King, Peter T. [R-NY-2]Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15]Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]Rep. Cardenas, Tony [D-CA-29]Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-32]Rep. Engel, Eliot L. [D-NY-16]Rep. Hastings, Alcee L. [D-FL-20]Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]Rep. Ryan, Tim [D-OH-13]Rep. Haaland, Debra A. [D-NM-1]Rep. Kennedy, Joseph P., III [D-MA-4]Rep. Doyle, Michael F. [D-PA-18]Rep. Carter, John [R-TX]
• **Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]Sen. Braun, Mike [R-IN]Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
116th Congress co-sponsors:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4822/text
• TITLE I: Improving the Effectiveness of Special Education and Related Services for Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
• TITLE II: Improving the Effectiveness of Special Education and Related Services for Students with Visual Disabilities
• TITLE III: Improving the Effectiveness of Special Education and Related Services for Children and Youth Who are Deaf-Blind
The Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act will ensure that:
• every child who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind, regardless of whether they have additional disabilities, will be properly counted and served;
• each of a child’s unique learning needs will be properly evaluated;
• states will engage in strategic planning to be sure that they can in fact meet each child’s specialized needs;
• the U.S. Department of Education will do its part to hold states and schools accountable;
• students who are deaf will be served by qualified personnel;
• students who are blind will receive state-of-the-art services and skills supported through a new major national collaborative initiative addressing their unique learning needs;
• and students who are deaf-blind will have access to trained and qualified interveners.
TITLE III—IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RELATED SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND
YOUTH WHO ARE DEAF-BLIND
• SEC. 301. IDENTIFYING CHILDREN WHO ARE DEAF-BLIND.(a) SERVING ALL CHILDREN WITH DEAF-BLINDNESS REGARDLESS OF CLASSIFICATION.
—Section 612(a)(3) (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3)), as amended by sections 101 and 201 ofthis Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following:
“(E) SERVING CHILDREN WITH DEAF-BLINDNESS.—When a State classifies children by disability, the State, in complying with subsection (a), identifies, locates and evaluates children with concomitant vision and hearing losses who are, or may be, classified in a disability category other than deaf-blindness, meaning concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that adversely affect a child’s educational performance (and including children who are deaf-blind with additional disabilities), and provides (without prejudice to such classification) special education and related services to such children, including such services determined appropriate based on proper evaluation as would be provided to children classified in the State as having deaf-blindness.”
• SEC. 302. RELATED SERVICES.
– Section 602(26)(A) (20 U.S.C. 1401(26)(A)) is amended by inserting “, and intervener services, which are provided to children who are deaf-blind by a qualified intervener” after “for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only”.
RELATED SERVICESCALL TO ACTION ON THE FEDERAL REGULATIONS –(A) HOW THE REGULATIONS COULD BE MODIFIED:“CFR Title 34, Subtitle III, Chapter III, Part 300, Subpart A, §300.34 Related Services§300.34 Related services. Modify (a) by inserting “intervener services” after “interpreting services” and before “psychological services” as shown below:
(a) General. Related services means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, intervener services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, early identification and assessment of disabilities in children, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. Related services also include school health services and school nurse services, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training.
Modify (c) by inserting the following after (4) Interpreting services: (5) Intervener services means services provided by a qualified intervener that enables a child with deafblindness to receive FAPE by facilitating access to visual and auditory information, communication and interaction in the child’s mode of communication, and instruction needed to learn and make meaningful educational progress.
• Subtitle C—National Activities To Improve The Education Of Children With Disabilities
• SEC. 321. PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES; ENSURING SUFFICIENT TEACHERS OF THE DEAF-BLIND AND EARLY INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS.
• Section 662(c)(2) (20 U.S.C. 1462(c)(2)) is amended—• (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (G) and (H) as subparagraphs (I) and (J),
respectively; and• (2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
“(G) Preparing personnel to be qualified teachers of the deaf-blind and early intervention specialists, to assist children with deaf-blindness in schools and school related activities, as well as toddlers and preschool children with deaf-blindness in early intervention and preschool programs, to develop communication and literacy skills, access, organize and utilize information about the environment and acquire concepts essential for learning.“(H) Preparing personnel to be qualified interveners as individualized supports to assist children with deaf-blindness in school and school related activities, and infants and toddlers and preschool children with deaf-blindness in early intervention and preschool programs.”.
What is it about deafblindness
that is unique and results in the need for
an intervener?
Typical Learning
IncidentalOccurs automatically without much effort
The way most information is
learned
SecondaryListening to a person
teach or present information
DirectHands-on
experiences
Deafblind Learning
IncidentalUsually does not occur
and is not effective
is difficultSecondary
Hands-on experiences are essential.
The best way to learn.
Direct
The learning needs ofchildren who are deafblindare different from those of typical sighted and hearing children. This poses unique challenges to most educational settings, because they are not generally designed to provide intensive amounts of direct, hands-on learning.
Receiving
Attending
Generalizing
Remembering
Gathering
Interpreting
Synthesizing
Receiving
Attending
Generalizing
Remembering
Gathering
Interpreting
Synthesizing
A Delivery System
A Receiving System
Helen’s Intervener: Anne Sullivan
“Ever since she took my hand on the door-step of my home, she has been not only my eyes and ears, but also a light in all dark places, a bond between me and the life of the world.”
Helen Keller
A person who: Works consistently one-to-one with a child who is
deafblind
Has training and specialized skills in deafblindness
Intervener
To facilitate access to environmental information usually gained through vision and hearing
To facilitate the development and/or use of receptive and expressive communication skills
To develop and maintain a trusting, interactive relationship that can promote social and emotionalwell-being
Role of the Intervener
• SEC. 3. FINDINGS.• (8) Children who are deaf-blind should receive one-to-
one services from interveners, who have training and specialized skills in deaf-blindness. Interveners play a critical role in the provision of a Free and Appropriate Public Education, because they provide access to the information these children need in order to learn and develop concepts, to facilitate their communication development and interactions in their preferred mode of communication, and to promote their social and emotional well-being.
What Training is Required for Interveners?
Why Is Higher Education Training So Important?
• Systemically it is recognized as the foundation for professions (i.e., the interpreter profession). Related services listed in IDEA are based on higher education training.
• State and local systems are more inclined to recognize the value of training through higher education.
• Universities/community colleges have structures in place and checks and balances to ensure the quality and sustainability of a training program:• Approved level of rigor• Process for ensuring that instructors and supervisors are qualified• Quality controls for program over time (i.e., ongoing monitoring and
evaluation of courses, instructors, etc.) • High accountability for learning and performance• Consistent measurement of knowledge gain through assignments,
tests, discussions, etc.• Individualized personal attention from instructors, mentors, coaches,
etc.• Supervised practicum measuring implementation of intervener
knowledge and skills
The Requirements for Obtaining the National Intervener Credential Include:
• A minimum of 8 university/community college credit hours of coursework from an approved Intervener Training Program based on the CEC Intervener Competencies (79 knowledge and skill competencies)
• A 2-4 credit hour practicum course under the supervision of the course instructor and the guidance of a trained Intervener Coach
• A completed Intervener Portfolio based on the CEC Intervener Competencies which provides documentation that the intervener has acquired the knowledge and skills needed to be an effective intervener
• Once the intervener has fulfilled the practicum requirements, the completed portfolio and other documentation is submitted to the National Intervener and Advocate Association (NIAA).
• Following their review process, if all of the requirements are met, the Intervener is notified that he or she is eligible to receive the National Intervener Credential.
• The intervener then submits an application along with a $100 processing fee and is awarded the credential.
• The National Intervener Credential is good for 5 years.
Central Michigan UniversityBeth Kennedy
2016
Current University Intervener Training Programs
Utah State UniversityLinda Alsop
2009
Resources• Intervener.org
• Intervener.org/resources
A Family’s Guide to Interveners for children with combined vision and hearing losses
Deafblindness and the Role of the Intervener
Comparison of Interveners and Paraprofessionals (PDF)
Interveners in the Classroom: Guidelines for Teams Working with Students who are DeafBlind.
• Interveners and Deafblindness Facebook Page
Questions?
