Deafblind & Intervenor Studies Program (C158)

The Deafblind and Intervenor Studies program prepares you to work with individuals who have combined vision and hearing loss. This is a hybrid program, including online and in-person components.

The one-year Deafblind and Intervenor Studies (C158) certificate program prepares you to support individuals with combined hearing and vision loss, enabling them to access information and interact more fully with their environment.

If you have a passion for helping others, want to work in a dynamic sector that has a surplus of employment opportunities, are creative and a good communicator, consider becoming a Deafblind intervenor.

Courses are delivered in a hybrid (online and in-person) format in both semesters. You will also gain practical experience working directly with individuals who are Deafblind.

You’ll learn the following in this program:

• how to work with Deafblind children and adults
• how to support Deafblind individuals with complex medical needs that include aging
• how to interact with members of the Deafblind community both virtually and in person
• American Sign Language (ASL), a visual language adapted to accommodate those with dual sensory loss
• alternate communication methods, professionalism, values, ethics, and sighted guide

Essential Skills of an Intervenor

To be an effective Intervenor, we recommend that you have these key characteristics:

• Strong communicator – Clear and effective communication will be key as you will be responsible for providing access to visual, auditory, and environmental information.
• Creative – In some circumstances, to make information accessible, you may need to think and act creatively to properly relay situational information.
• Flexible – Being flexible is a key attribute, as each day “on the job” will be different from the next.
• Trustworthy – You will play an important role in the lives of your clients, so the ability to build trust easily is an important asset.

Career Options

Intervenors have the skills to facilitate communication with Deafblind people across all aspects of day-to-day life, such as health care, business, education and social services.

These specialized communication tools are an asset for anyone who interacts with members of the Deafblind community.

This is a recognized profession in Ontario within school boards and agencies.

There are 6 key agencies whose primary role is supporting individuals with Deafblindness. Some examples of possible job titles include:

• intervenor
• team leader
• supervisor
• program co-ordinator
• intervenor services co-ordinator
• manager