National Consortium for Paraprofessional Training in Deafblindness:
A Model for Distance Education in Community Colleges
DB-TRAC: A National Preservice
Paraprofessional Training
Program in Deafblindness
The use of paraprofessionals with children and youth who are deafblind continues to increase. IDEA 2004 has acknowledged and strengthened the role of the paraprofessional in assisting the provision of special education and related services. It clearly states that paraprofessionals and assistants who are properly trained and supervised may assist in the provision of special education and related services to children with disabilities. The “No Child Left Behind Act” has mandated the availability of qualified staff for all students. Paraprofessionals who work with children and youth who are deafblind not only need training and specialized skills in deafblindness, but they must also meet their state standards for paraprofessionals. Currently, there are no preservice training programs in the United States that are designed specifically for paraprofessionals in deafblindness and that also interface with state paraprofessional standards.
This Project is responding to this national need through a consortium of professionals in deafblindness, representatives from community colleges and two year programs of study, state deafblind projects, the National Clearinghouse on Deafblindness, and the National Paraprofessional Consortium.
This Consortium is working collectively to:
- Establish an on-line preservice training program in deafblindness
- Address systems change issues at both the state and community college level
- Work collaboratively to ensure the replication and institutionalization of the training program beyond the funding cycle of the grant