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Deaf-

blind

SPARKLE,

Intervener

Training

· Deafblind

The SKI-HI Institute has developed materials, programs and training opportunities for use with families of Deafblind children as well as the professionals and parapro-fessionals that serve them since the mid 1980s. One of these materials is the manual Understanding Deafblindness, available through Hope, Inc.

SPARKLE is a training program in the home that families can access any time using the Internet and DVD technology. SPARKLE has also set up a national website for families to use for networking and access to resources. For more information about SPARKLE, visit the website: http://www.sparkle.usu.edu

The SKI-HI Institute has been a leader in the field promoting the use of one-on-one paraprofessionals called Interveners with individuals who are deafblind. Interveners play a role similar to that of Anne Sullivan who provided Helen Keller with the information and support she needed to learn and function in the world. The Institute has led the National Intervener Task Force, comprised of states working together to advocate for, coordinate, and provide momentum to see that this practice becomes available to children across the country who are deafblind starting at an early age and continuing on through school age.

Through a federal grant, an online Intervener training program was developed by SKI-HI Institute staff and is offered through Utah State University. The Intervener Training Program is based on the CEC Approved Specialization Knowledge and Skill Set for Paraeducators who are Interveners for Individuals with Deafblindness. In the program students must complete 10 hours of coursework in Deafblindness and a practicum. To learn more about this program, visit the website intervener.org/deafblindness. Look under the menu choice "Training Credential".

For more information about these deafblind programs at the Institute, contact Linda Alsop: linda.alsop@usu.edu

Teachers sitting on floor with ragdolls practicing use of touch cues when handling babies