Exploring Neurological Effects and Life Experiences of Language Deprivation in the Deaf Community of the Dominican Republic

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This Deaf-led proposal aims to better understand salient concepts and patterns of language deprivation in Deaf communities of the Dominican Republic (DR), generating research capacity and strengthening partnerships using Popular Education principles and community collaboration around the conduct of a participatory qualitative study. The interference of acquiring language is the greatest threat to the long- term health and well-being of deaf children. “Language deprivation” is the experience of inconsistently accessible language exposure during the critical period of language acquisition – a time-sensitive neurodevelopmental period for establishing a first language foundation. Not having a complete first language foundation before the critical period “window” closes is associated with permanent atypical neurostructural changes in deaf people and may be associated with poor education, health, and employment outcomes seen in the deaf population. Hearing loss is the fourth leading cause of Years Lived with Disability (YLD) worldwide, and is particularly acute in Latin America and the Caribbean. This project proposes to expands two existing partnerships - one long-term existing NIH-funded research partnership between the University of Rochester (UR) and Pontifica Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), and another existing USAID- funded partnership between Discovering Deaf Worlds (DDW; an international deaf NGO based in Rochester) and the Asociación Nacional de Sordos de la República Dominicana (ANSORDO; National Association of the Deaf of the Dominican Republic). Little is known about the manifestations and experiences of language deprivation in the DR’s deaf population and strong but heretofore separate existing partnerships can be merged to create a new emphasis and experiential learning on the topic. As such, our aims are to: 1) Investigate and document the health concerns and needs of the DR’s Deaf communities, with particular focus on early childhood language experiences, perceived consequences, and the identification of language dynamics and engagement of Deaf populations; 2) Generate and expand capacity to conduct community- engaged research with Deaf Dominicans, and 3) Grow and strengthen a collaborative research focus on global deaf health and language deprivation between US and Dominican academic institutions and deaf community organizations. The project is guided by principles and methods the involved bi/tri/quadrilingual (ASL/ DSL/ English/ Spanish) teams have already demonstrated, and the project is centered around a model of capacity building and partnership strengthening implemented by the partners in completing a pilot study to develop logistics, instruments, procedures, and personnel for this project.