Utah Teachers of the Deafblind

Published March 2024

After graduating from high school, Erin Farrer Cook took a job as an intervener and never looked back. She went on to receive a master’s in special education and has a deafblind endorsement, a severe disabilities endorsement, and an administrative license. She also was a deafblind consultant for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) for nearly a decade.  

Erin is currently USDB’s director of educational deafblind services, supervising 15 teachers of the deafblind and interveners who work with students with deafblindness across the state. 

She is also director of the Utah Deafblind Project. Erin notes that the project’s efforts, which include extensive intervener training, “have helped ensure we are on the cutting edge of effective practice and policy related to deafblindness.” The project also collaborates with other states in efforts to build their capacity to establish and support teachers of the deafblind and interveners.

Erin was excited to be in one of the first cohorts to receive Utah’s teacher of the deafblind credential. “I recognize the efforts that went into the development of the credential,” she says, “and I’m proud that our state recognized this need and worked to develop the specialized training required.”

This summer, several Utah teachers of the deafblind collaborated with Helen Keller National Center to bring a deafblind immersion experience to their state for two students. “It was so exciting," she says, "to see these students, who have significant impact of disability, participate and enjoy the experiences provided.” 

Published November 2023

Elizabeth Jones was introduced to the field of deafblindness during an interdisciplinary course taught by Cathy Nelson at the University of Utah while completing a special education master’s degree in severe disabilities. “Dr. Nelson brought so many stories involving students with deafblindness, and I grew to love the students through her,” she said. After a presentation by a teacher of the deafblind (TDB) in class one day, Elizabeth knew she wanted to work with students who are deafblind. 

Elizabeth went on to earn a deafblind endorsement and take a position as a TDB at Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB). She is proud of her specialized training in deafblindness, noting that “the endorsement means I have the knowledge and skills to ensure that I am providing the students that I work with appropriate strategies and tools for them to be successful in accessing their school day and the curriculum.” 

“I feel passionately about movement within learning, especially for those with sensory needs, including proprioceptive and sensorimotor needs,” she explains. “I try to apply my knowledge of dance and movement with the students I work with.” 

Elizabeth loves the connections she makes with her students. She describes a recent interaction she had that began when a student handed her one of their favorite toys: “I tapped the toy against the desk, and they promptly followed my lead and started tapping the desk with a similar toy. We took turns going back and forth either tapping the toys on the desk or dropping them onto the desk to get different sounds.” 

“When the student was done with the game, they took the toy from me and turned away. I confirmed that I understood, by signing ‘all done’ in their visual field, and they signed it back to me. You need to show them that you respect their communication.” 

Published June 2023

After graduation, Rosalee Pearson was working as a substitute teacher when a student’s intervener left. She applied and got the position, ending up working as the student’s intervener for three and a half years. She loved every minute of it!

Years later, while teaching special education at a school that helped young people transition to adult services, Roselee had an opportunity to apply to be a teacher of the deaf-blind for Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB). She jumped at the chance to once again work with children who are deaf-blind. She is now a teacher of the deaf-blind for USDB, in multiple counties in the state, and serves on their Deafblind Transition Team, CHARGE Syndrome Team, and Deafblind Expanded Core Curriculum Team. 

In addition to her intervener training, Rosalee has a master’s in special education, along with endorsements in deaf-blind and severe disabilities. “Getting the deaf-blind endorsement was so important to my work with students who are deaf-blind,” she explains. “It gave me a toolbox for working with a variety of students and their specific needs. I feel that I’m a more effective teacher because of the knowledge I gained.”

Rosalee recalls a day when one of her students taught her an important lesson: One day in class, she started talking with the student’s intervener without first greeting the student with her name sign. “The student started making noise and touching his shoulder where I should have made my name sign,” she says. “This really served as a reminder to me to always greet my students, even when I’m in a hurry.”

Published April 2023

Right out of high school, Mary Alice Dredge took a job working for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB). She first worked with residential students on campus and then as a teacher consultant for the visually impaired. While finishing her bachelor’s degree in special education, Mary Alice served as a Parent Infant Program specialist for the visually impaired.  

After taking time off to raise four children of her own, Mary Alice returned to USDB where she is now a teacher of the deaf-blind, intervener training coordinator, and project data analyst. She gathers the state’s information for the National Deaf-Blind Child Count and oversees a technical assistance tracking system for project staff. She also leads the USDB training team that plans, executes, and evaluates their intervener training program, and she developed and maintains their intervener training site.

Mary Alice is currently part of a team working with a preschool class for students with significant disabilities at the USDB Ogden Campus. She meets regularly with team members and related service providers to introduce them to best practices for working with students who are deaf-blind. One student in the class has no usable vision or hearing, and Mary Alice notes that the first few months she did not want to be touched, especially her hands. They were able to hire an intervener to provide consistent one-to-one support, she says, and “the student is beginning to search for others around her and allowing some hand-under-hand tactile exploration.”  

The experience characterizes what Mary Alice says is her best advice: “We need to observe a child who is deaf-blind carefully and follow their lead. Let them know you are available, and they will invite you in when they are ready.”  

Published January 2023

Debbie Sanders was working as a paraeducator in a special education classroom when an opening came up in the class next door for an intervener to work with a student who was deaf-blind. She applied, got the job, and “from that point on,” she says, “working in deaf-blindness became my career.”

And she’s had a busy one. Over the years, Debbie has been a family engagement coordinator, a deafblind consultant, and a national Helen Keller Fellow. She’s also been an active contributor to and participant in a number of projects with NCDB, NICE, and the CEC, and helped develop a virtual deaf-blind institute in Utah for teachers, related service providers, and others who work with students who are deaf-blind. 

Debbie had been working on a master’s degree in visual impairments from the University of Utah when their new endorsement in deaf-blindness became available. The timing, she says, was perfect. She was able to graduate with a dual endorsement in teacher of the deaf-blind and teacher of the visually impaired. Today, Debbie works as a TDB and project specialist for the Utah Deaf-Blind Project. 

The mother of one of Debbie's students had wanted to have a deaf-blind simulation for her family for a long time, but scheduling a time to get the extended family together was proving difficult. Debbie suggested using the student’s annual birthday party as a time to do the simulation. Three other TDBs, their family engagement coordinator, and the student, with the help of her intervener, collaborated with Debbie to create the event. Traditional birthday party games were turned into deaf-blind simulation experiences and discussions. 

The birthday party simulation was a great success! Not only did extended family members have the opportunity to celebrate the student’s birthday, but several family members mentioned they also gained an understanding of how to engage and interact more fully with her.

Published November 2022

Sundie Marx began working as an intervener while attending college. After graduation, she knew without a doubt that she wanted to continue her education to learn how to better support children with deaf-blindness and their families.

Sundie went on to receive a master’s in developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and endorsements in teacher of the deaf-blind and early childhood educator from the University of Utah. She says her best training has been from directly working with children and their families. 

For more than 15 years, Sundie has been with Deaf-Blind Services at Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB), now serving as a teacher of the deaf-blind and early interventionist with their Early Intervention and Early Childhood teams throughout Utah. She also is a member of the USDB Advisory Council. In addition to her job at USDB, Sundie is working with the National Center on Deaf-Blindness to create a professional development training module on early intervention.

Sundie believes that an important part of her job is coaching caregivers to develop the skills and confidence needed to be the best parent they can be for their child. “This will transfer directly to their child,” she adds, “improving their skills and confidence.”

“I recently had a mom tell me that, because of the skills she’d learned, she finally feels like her  daughter’s mom rather than her nurse or therapist,” explains Sundie. “It’s rewarding to know she now has a connection and bond with her daughter and not just that of a full-time caregiver.”

To Sundie, becoming a teacher of the deaf-blind and receiving the deaf-blind endorsement was exceptionally meaningful: “It means that children who are deaf-blind and their families are being represented and recognized as a group of individuals who deserve well-trained educators to help them better access their education.”

Published September 2022

Early in her career as a special education teacher, Denise Pearson was told she would have a student who was deaf-blind. Her first reaction was, “How can I teach a student who can’t see or hear?” Fortunately, the student had an intervener and many effective strategies were already in place. “I learned so much during the three years I was this student’s teacher,” she explains. “And I was able to use those skills and strategies to help my other students who had sensory loss.” 

Denise says she learned first-hand that many special educators are unfamiliar with resources available for students who have combined vision and hearing loss. “I felt that I could do more to help,” she says. Denise went on to receive an endorsement in deaf-blindness and is now a teacher of the deaf-blind for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. She also serves on their intervener training and intervener recruitment teams, and leads their CHARGE syndrome task force.

Denise credits the education she received while working on the endorsement with making her more skilled at providing her students with increased access to their environments, peers, teachers, and curricula.

Last year Denise provided consultation to the team of a student who was becoming less responsive to others. She worked with them to help increase her wakefulness and responsiveness at school. After a few months, the student started to become a bit more responsive. “During one of my visits,” Denise said, “I put my hands in hers and squeezed. She started squeezing back! Then I squeezed a simple pattern, and she squeezed the pattern back. We were so happy to see that she was responding.” 

Denise advises those new to working with a student who is deaf-blind start by understanding the student’s unique vision and hearing needs and their preferred sensory modes. “Then, be creative in making things accessible to this student based on their available sensory modes and preferences,” she says.

Published July 2022

Brooke Barnhill is a teacher of the deaf-blind and a transition specialist for the Utah Deaf-Blind Project and Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. She loves the work, which allows her to use her passion for working with children who have significant support needs, their families, and educational teams. But what she looks forward to most, she says, “is when I can work directly with the students who are deaf-blind and join their world for a little while.”

Brooke earned a master’s in Special Education from Boston College and did her student teaching at Perkins School for the Blind in their Deafblind Program. Although she has endorsements in multiple disabilities, deafness/hard of hearing, and vision loss, she recently completed a Master of Philosophy in Special Education from the University of Utah, with an endorsement in deaf-blindness. Brooke says that this was a significant event in her career. “It’s been fulfilling to finally receive an endorsement in my specialty and to be called and recognized as a Teacher of the Deaf-Blind.”

This school year, she began working with a young woman who is deaf-blind and has significant support needs. Brooke collaborates with her classroom teacher, intervener, and teacher of the visually impaired to establish a trusting relationship, discover motivating activities, and reduce self-harming behaviors. “We worked to come up with a schedule that focused on motivating activities and consistent responses to her communication,” she explains. 

The team’s hard work is already seeing positive results: “The student has blossomed this year!” Brooke says. “Her self-harm behaviors have significantly reduced, she has moved up a level on the Communication Matrix, and the team has raised their expectations for her life after high school.” 

Brooke urges educators to increase their awareness of deaf-blindness and learn the best practices for working with those who are deaf-blind. She says, “These efforts lead to improved access to the learning environment and improve students’ anticipation and participation in their learning.”