In 2013 a panel of interveners presented information at the National Resource Center for Paraeducators Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. At that time, they held a special meeting to establish the National Intervener Association (NIA).  This organization included an Intervener Leadership Team and a national network of credentialed interveners. 

In 2020, the National Intervener Association (NIA) became the National Intervener & Advocate Association (NIAA), which expanded to include interveners, parents, professionals, and others.  This larger group continues their ongoing efforts to have interveners recognized as related service providers under IDEA. 

To advance the field of intervener services, interveners need to be recognized as “related service providers” rather than paraprofessionals, and their training must be completed through the higher education pathway, just as other related service providers are educated.  The National Intervener & Advocate Association (NIAA) wholeheartedly supports university training as the path to credentialing.  NIAA recognizes the intervener practice cannot survive and thrive at the paraprofessional level.   The intervener practice must evolve to be recognized and supported similar to the evolution of the sign language interpreter practice.  Experience has shown that higher education training is the only way to have the intervener practice become recognized, valued, and sustained over time.