Case Study
A Positive Intervention
A 16-year-old student at a provincial school for the deaf who was gradually losing her eyesight due to a genetic condition complained to the Ombudsman that the school refused to provide her with the services of an “intervenor” – a professional trained to assist deaf-blind persons through various communication methods.
The student, who is legally blind and unable to see the blackboard or read large print, had the help of an educational assistant, but she and her family requested an intervenor to help her fully participate in the school’s programs. The school and the Ministry of Education denied their request.
An Ombudsman investigator spoke with senior staff at the school and Ministry, who maintained that the student was receiving appropriate assistance – for instance, the school had arranged for her to learn Braille. It had also provided her with specialized computer equipment and software, but she was unable to use it because of her deteriorating eyesight. The investigator then spoke with the Director of the Ministry’s Provincial Schools Branch about the policy on funding intervenors. The Director advised that the Branch had recently became more aware of the particular communication needs of deaf people with acquired blindness, and that it had decided to hire intervenors to assist the complainant and several other deaf students with acquired blindness.