A Need for Interdisciplinary Personnel to Serve Students with DeafBlindness: A Literature Review

This article presents a narrative review of research revealing a need for professionals trained to serve students with DeafBlindness. The synthesis was conducted to glean evidence from the literature and to answer questions regarding the need for professionals to serve children with DeafBlindness. Twelve articles provided the needed evidence under the following identified themes: the need for resources and services for students with low-incidence disabilities including DeafBlindness, the need for training opportunities for professionals in DeafBlindness, the role of personnel preparation programs, the use of specific models and intervention strategies, and the recommended practices and competencies for professionals in DeafBlindness. Four of the articles addressed more than one of these themes, while the remaining eight articles addressed one theme each. This review supports the findings of previous studies that have identified the need for professionals in DeafBlindness and recommended that these professionals be prepared to possess specific competencies that enable them to implement evidence-based strategies to improve student outcomes.