NSF CIVIC

This Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) project is a vision to identify and bridge specific gaps in essential emergency resources and services for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) community in Monroe County, New York. Situated within Monroe County, Rochester New York is home to the largest per capita population of DHH people in the US. Stage 1 pilot project activities will be undertaken between three partners - (1) the Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute of the Deaf, (2) the Monroe County Office of Emergency Management, and (3) the Rochester Recreation Club for Deaf. The project represents a unique coupling of academic research with the DHH community and emergency management. Project goals include identifying DHH community emergency service gaps, creating and evaluating DHH emergency communication tools, identifying educational pathways for incorporation of knowledge about the DHH into emergency management and geospatial technology practice, and identifying pathways for the DHH to become part of the emergency management STEM workforce and volunteer efforts. To the best knowledge, this would be the first NSF research effort to directly address the topic of bridging the gap between emergency services and DHH communities. Results will be generalizable to other community contexts with special needs populations beyond Monroe County NY for broader project national impact and legacy.

Stage 1 Project Graphical Overview

WROC Rochester News 8 story about NSF CIVIC Stage I

We are actively seeking project partners.

If you are a civil, government, private sector or other organization or individual interested in working with us on issues related to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing and Emergency Management, please contact Brian Tomaszewski.

For more information about the the NSF CIVIC program, visit: the NSF Civic Innovation Challenge Webpage.