Course Description

The primary role of the Intervenor is to provide the person with deafblindness with sufficient information to make informed choices and decisions about his/her own life. This cannot happen without an effective communication system that emphasizes both receptive and expressive communication. Communication flows and intertwines through every interaction, activity, and aspect of life. The Intervenor is an ongoing communication partner for the person with deafblindness, while constantly providing information and encouraging the person they support to be expressive. This course offers an in depth study of the strategies and approaches used to teach communication. Participants will learn a variety of teaching approaches and strategies that will enhance their ability to provide an effective communication environment for individuals with deafblindness. Opportunities for participants to problem solve and explore options around their specific needs will also be provided.

Participants will receive a transcript from Richmond Continuing Education upon completion of the course.

Prerequisites

• Participants must be currently supporting a student with deafblindness under an education authority in the province of BC
• Participants must have completed both Introduction to Deafblindness and Introduction to Intervention

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Describe the impact that congenital deafblindness has on an individual’s ability to learn and communicate effectively
• Describe the approaches used to teach communication to children, youth and adults whose deafblindness is congenital in nature
• Describe the major goals for an effective communication system
• Demonstrate practical strategies for establishing intentionality, choice-making, and expressive language
• Describe the importance of student-initiated interactions
• Demonstrate how to provide opportunities for the learner to initiate interactions
• Establish a communication environment

Instructional Methods

This course will utilize a variety of teaching methods to facilitate learning, including lectures, small and large group discussions, participant demonstrations, and other media. Time for questions and the sharing of participants' experiences with individuals who are deafblind will be built in throughout the course.

Course Hours: 30