Fall Professional Development Week 2025!
An active and engaging day. Parents, special and general educators, physical educators, O&Mers, therapists, and TVIs are going to learn blind soccer, blind tennis,track and field, biking, goal ball! You’re gonna love it!
Empower your student with independence and increase their expressive communication! Routines can serve many functions regarding the development of language acquisition. A calendar system can function as a timepiece providing structure to the day’s events, but more so, provides a static form of communication.
Everything you need to know from Abacus to Zoom! This day supports all educators working with a new student to your school who has a visual impairment. How to procure equipment, where to get braille materials, how to empower your student, how to support the staff-everything you need to know, we cover it on this day!
Do you work with a student who has hearing differences and vision differences, perhaps multiple disabilities? This day covers the impact of sensory impairments on communication and instruction. You will walk away with strategies that will make a big difference to your students.
Orientation and Mobility Specialist, parents, paraprofessionals, and interveners will increase their knowledge about creating effective, efficient, and safe travel for students with multiple disabilities. Do you use haptics, and touch signals with your students during O&M travel? Come learn how to utilize non-verbal instruction to your students while keeping them focused on their travel. ACVREP credit.
Hand In Hand: Understanding Deafblindness 2025
This course provides instructional strategies and practices specific to the education of students with combined vision and hearing loss with or without additional disabilities. The course is taught by specialists in the field of DeafBlindness. Hand in Hand includes information on such topics as common causes of DeafBlindness, assessments specific to students with DeafBlindness, and instructional strategies shown to be most impactful for this population of learners. The expert presenters dive deep into the communication needs of learners with DeafBlindness using evidence-based practices and assessments specific to these learners. We tailor the specific application of materials to the individual students being served by participants. Follow-up coaching and mentoring are available from MoDBTAP Project staff to deepen comfort levels with real-world application.
The target audience for this course includes any members of the educational team serving a student with combined vision and hearing loss inclusive of those with multiple disabilities. We welcome all teachers (general or special ed.), the learner’s caregivers/parents, paraprofessionals, related service providers, or post-secondary students intending to work with learners with combined vision and hearing differences.
VIISA Course 2025
This year’s VIISA will be a hybrid with two days virtual and four days in person!
Working with Infants and Toddlers with Vision Impairments
The purpose of this course is for participants to gain and develop skills in understanding the unique needs of infants and toddlers who are blind or visually impaired. The purpose of this course is for participants to gain and develop skills in understanding the unique needs of infants and toddlers who are blind or visually impaired in a home-based setting. The focus will be on working with these children, as well as in collaboration with the family and other members of the service delivery team. Transitioning from a home setting to preschool will also be addressed. Participants will gain knowledge and skills in observation, assessment, intervention techniques, use of appropriate methods, curricula and materials in teaching skills in all developmental domains, developing the use of all senses, meeting the child’s needs in the group setting, socialization, early literacy and orientation and mobility.
Make n Takes, lunch, materials all at no cost!
Open Hands Open Access Training
The program, Open Hands Open Access (OHOA) is an online, work at your own pace training program that offers modules designed to increase knowledge and encourage the use of best practices for supporting children with combined vision and hearing loss. OHOA/ DeafBlind Intervener Learning Modules are a national resource designed to increase awareness, knowledge, and skills related to intervention for students (ages 3 through 21) who are deafblind and being served in educational settings. If you are currently working with a student with dual sensory loss, you may be eligible for a stipend for every successful completion of modules and monthly consultation from our DeafBlind Project staff.
Stipends provided if approved!
For More Information, Contact:
INSITE: In-Home Sensory Intervention Training and Education
A curriculum model of home intervention for infants, toddlers, and preschool aged children who have a visual impairment and may have other multiple disabilities, including DeafBlind. The INSITE model and training is for Parent Advisors for MoSPIN (Statewide Parent Involvement Network) home visits. This curriculum includes the following areas: communication, hearing, vision, cognition, motor impairments, and developmental resources.
Intervener Certification
In the United States, state deafblind projects and university certificate programs are the primary sources of intervener training. Coaching and supervision, in addition to coursework, are essential. MoDBTAP is your source for intervener training. For intervener training and for certification, contact dena.molen@msb.dese.mo.gov. MoDBTAP can provide tuition assistance to support your certification. (However, you must be working with a student with deafblindness!)
Considering Becoming An Intervener?
Start with MoDBTAP, and explore these certification programs:
Unified English Braille Code:
Coursework Leading to Certification as a TVI and O&M
Training and Certification (undergraduate and graduate)
Considering a degree Program?
The following college and university programs have successfully completed the accreditation process and have earned the distinction of “AER Accredited.” Each of these personnel preparation programs has demonstrated adherence to high quality standards that lead to a valuable academic experience; and the competencies needed for employment and certifications.
Lighthouse for the Blind-St. Louis Tuition Reimbursement Program
The Tuition Reimbursement Program was developed for individuals who are specializing in the field of service to persons who are blind or legally blind. This program is for college students in their senior year in an undergraduate program, OR a graduate student OR a paraprofessional that is currently employed and working in the field.