Deaf Blind Resource Team

Contact Us

Supervisors

Terri Landis
tllandis@iu12.org
(717) 624-6473

Jamie R. Tome, M.S., CCC-SLP
jrtome@iu12.org
(717) 624-6468

Administrative Support

Maranda Soriero
mnsoriero@iu12.org
(717) 624-6459

Ashley Hoover
alhoover@iu12.org
(717) 624-6485

DBRT Mission and Vision

LIU 12’s mission is to empower our customers by providing technical assistance and resources to help students with deaf-blindness live, learn, and thrive in the school, home, and community.

Students who are Deaf-Blind may have varying levels of vision and hearing. These students have unique needs that may not be addressed in programs designed for individuals with only one sensory impairment, regardless of additional disabilities. The vision of the LIU 12 Deaf-Blind Support Program is a student-centered specialized approach that addresses these instructional needs as well as specific communication techniques. Through the use of research-based practices, all students are provided an inclusive, meaningful, and standards-based education program. Programming is rooted in the presumption of student competence and orchestrated through an organized process and ongoing collaboration with family and team members.

Make a Referral

About Us

Services Provided

Conversations about school programming and related supports.
Provide training for your team regarding best practices for students with hearing and/or vision loss.
Provide information about online resources.
Creating an action plan for implementing educational strategies across team members.
Help you learn more about including families, resources for transition to adulthood, person centered planning, and other needs.

This team request includes:

Record review
In-person observation by 2-3 members of the DBRT team for 60-90 minutes. Members could include: Audiologist, Social Worker, SLP, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Teacher of the Visually Impaired.
Verbal and written recommendations through a Technical Assistance (TA) Plan
Three follow-up consultations/visits lasting approximately 60 minutes each. Visits will be one time every three weeks following the initial visit. A revised TA plan will be shared out following each visit.

Program Resources

What is an Intervener?

In educational environments, intervener services are provided by an individual, typically a paraeducator, who has received specialized training in deaf-blindness and the process of intervention. For students who are deaf-blind, interveners provide a bridge to the outside world by providing access to information and communication. In addition, they facilitate the development of the student’s social and emotional well-being. An intervener provides consistent one-to-one support to a student who is deaf-blind (age 3 through 21) throughout the instructional day, working under the guidance and direction of the student’s teachers who are responsible for ensuring the implementation of the student’s IEP.

An intervener is a paraprofessional who provides direct support to a student with deafblindness for all or part of the instructional day. The intervener receives training in communication methods and sensory accommodations that are needed for an individual student with deafblindness to access information in various learning environments. The intervener supports the existing service delivery model, collaborating with the student’s team in implementing the student’s IEP.

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