Project Title

Exploring Neurological Effects and Life Experiences of Language Deprivation in the Deaf Community of the Dominican Republic, National Institutes of Health, John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences (Award #5R21TW011508-02)

Funder

The University of Rochester (prime), National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant

DDW’s Role

NIH Sub-Contract

DDW’s Partners

Asociación Nacional de Sordos de la República Dominicana (ANSORDO), University of Rochester, Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM)

Timeline

September 9, 2019 – May 31, 2022

Overview

Deaf Worlds (DDW) was subcontracted by the University of Rochester to ensure the project’s development and implementation in the Dominican Republic included the Asociación Nacional de Sordos de la República Dominicana (ANSORDO) team and Deaf community members. Since the University of Rochester (which included a Deaf co-principal investigator and one Deaf team researcher) and Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) are hearing-led institutions without fluency in Dominican sign language, DDW play a critical role in briding this gap. DDW facilitated collaboration with ANSORDO to ensure that cultural understanding and respect were maintained throughout the project. DDW’s role was to assist ANSORDO in participating in field assessments, gathering user experience data, and evaluating needs appropriately.

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Our Approach

worked with the University of Rochester and ANSORDO to address key challenges in the Deaf community in the Dominican Republic through three focus areas:

  • Education: Facilitated workshops to help ANSORDO build strong partnerships with the University of Rochester and PUCMM. The training included topics such as facilitation skills with universities and networking skills, enabling Deaf Dominicans to engage effectively in research and educational initiatives.
  • Health and Social Protection: Developed accessible resources tailored for Deaf Dominicans to ensure they could participate fully in community-engaged research. These resources covered topics like quantitative research collection and organizational skills, empowering the community to understand and address health and social issues more effectively.
  • Technology: Equipped Deaf Dominicans with the knowledge and skills to handle data responsibly. This included training on data ethics, confidentiality, and the privacy of personal data, ensuring that the community could conduct research in a secure and ethical manner.

Impact At-A-Glance

In Year 3, after a long hiatus due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, DDW and the University of Rochester coordinated and facilitated a kickoff workshop and provided training on data collection. DDW assisted ANSORDO and PUCMM in establishing systematic data collection and tracking procedures to reach Deaf Dominican communities. This included data collection, analysis, and dissemination of methods and findings, ensuring the project’s success and adherence to ethical standards. The results will lead to in-depth research on the impact of language deprivation on Deaf Dominican communities.