Interveners and Deafblindness

11/12/2025

Intervener Community of Practice
Munch 'N' Learn Brown Bag Workshop
Intervener Strategies
December 1, 2025
3:30pm PT/4:30pm MT/ 5:30pm CT/ 6:30pm ET

Register here: https://nationaldb-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/How8aZ6fSkyrtA_g0EolUw #/registration

11/09/2025

Intervener Munch 'N' Learn ----- Save the Dates!
Mondays December 1, 2025; February 2, 2026; April 16, 2026

**Topic: Intervener/or Stratagies

11/07/2025

Contact your members of Congress after reading this!

Efforts to gut the U.S. Department of Education's special education office and move the program to another agency are already causing "immediate harm" to students with disabilities, advocates warn.

11/05/2025

Free training opportunity. "Communicating Through Touch: Strategies for Professionals Working with Children who are DeafBlind".

November 11, through the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project.

10/28/2025

These parents from Wisconsin are being proactive, as the funding for state DeafBlind Projects is not promised beyond this year. Watch the video below.

Wisconsin families with children who are deaf and blind are nervous about the future of the Department of Public Instruction’s Deafblind Technical Assistance Project.

10/24/2025

There are questions about the legality of transferring special education programs out of the Education Department. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) clearly designates the Secretary of Education as the only agency head responsible for ensuring states and agencies meet the conditions and requirements in IDEA.

The U.S. Department of Education is in talks to move oversight of special education programs to another federal agency.

10/16/2025

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) made another round of layoffs this past weekend heavily impacting the Office of Special Education Programs, which oversees special education, further shrinking federal capacity for oversight under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Although most IDEA funding has already been released for the current fiscal year, ASHA members could see slower response times from the federal government. ASHA is extremely concerned that if staffing losses and the shutdown persist, states and districts could face prolonged delays in technical assistance requests, as well as uncertainty around future OSEP grant competitions.

Tomorrow (October 15), members of ASHA's Board of Directors will join ASHA Advocacy on Capitol Hill to discuss this and other pressing issues with their legislators. Join us in urging Congress to protect ED and ensure access to services and supports necessary for student achievement and success: https://at.asha.org/O7

10/15/2025

Mass layoffs have devastated the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). After the cuts, a small number of senior personnel remain with reports suggesting the number of OSEP staff could be as low as 5, a drastic decrease from about 200 employees previously. OSEP is responsible for administering funding and overseeing implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and other laws.

From Disability Scoop: "The impact will undoubtedly be felt by students with disabilities, according to Katy Neas, CEO of The Arc of the United States who previously served as deputy assistant secretary in the Education Department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. “These offices exist because, not so long ago, millions of children with disabilities were shut out of school. They represent our nation’s promise that every child deserves an education and a future,” Neas said. “With these offices gutted, families will have nowhere to turn when schools fail to meet their obligations under federal law.”

Join the National Intervener and Advocate Association in telling congress to restore OSEP. Find your member of congress here.....

Find your members of Congress by typing in your address on Congress.gov.

10/14/2025

Following public outcry, the Department of Education has reversed its decision to cut funding for students who have both hearing and vision loss, opting instead to reroute grants to an organization that will provide funding to these students.

10/10/2025

Great news! So thankful for allies in the DeafBlind field!

After the federal government cut funding for deafblind students last month, we have successfully secured a subgrant from the National Center On Deafblindness.

I am deeply grateful to the families, educators, and advocates who raised their voices and shared their powerful stories. Because of their courage and persistence, the importance of the WDBTAP came into focus — and helped protect an essential lifeline for children and families across Wisconsin.

While this is a win for Wisconsin’s deafblind learners and their families, it does not erase the reality that many were met with uncertainty and chaos just as the school year began. We will continue to fight for the needs of all Wisconsin kids and secure the stable and well-resourced schools they deserve.

09/23/2025

“These are kids who depend on specialized supports just to access their guaranteed right to a free and apporpriate public education…losing these dollars at this point in the year will be devastating for the kids who need these supports the most.” ~Dr. Jill Underly, Wisconsin State Superindendent

Program for deaf and blind students set to lose funding from the Department of Education.

09/22/2025

Attention Interveners, parents, consumers, service providers and interested individuals.

Ask YOUR representative in the U.S. Congress to join the DeafBlind Caucus. Caucuses are effective forums for members to advocate for a particular cause. To find your congress person, use the link in comments and insert your address in the box provided.

Thank you to Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-MD) for leading this as well as the founding members: Representatives McClain Delaney (D-MD), Carson (D-IN), Cline (R-VA), DeLauro (D-CT), Dingell (D-MI), Doggett (D-TX), Gottheimer (D-NJ), Kiggans (R-VA), McGarvey (D-KY), Mullin (D-CA), Norton (D-DC), Riley (D-NY), Suozzi (D-NY), Takano (D-CA).

Supporting Organizations: American Association for the DeafBlind (AADB), DeafBlind Community of Texas, Deafblind Community United, Helen Keller National Center (HKNC), National Association of the Deaf (NAD), National DeafBlind Coalition, National Family Association for DeafBlind (NFADB), National Intervener and Advocate Association (NIAA), New York Deafblind Advocates.

If your Representative is listed, let them know you appreciate their support. If your Representative is not listed, contact them and urge them to join the DeafBlind Caucus. It’s easy.

I'm honored to launch the bipartisan Congressional Deafblind Caucus with ! This Caucus isn’t about politics—it’s about people. The Deafblind comm...