Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Food safety is an important public health issue. While the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) has been implemented, it has been challenging for growers operating small and very-small farm with limited resources. More seriously, the Deaf and hard of hearing farmers have not been able to access the necessary training to comply FSMA PSR due to the lack of adequate training programs designed for this underserved population as well as insufficient funding and outreach efforts. Hence, developing a culturally sensitive education program for deaf and hard of hearing learners will be of essential. Development of a customized pedagogical model is also necessary to ensure effective delivery of educational programming and maximum learning outcomes. In addition, an interactive curriculum based on Understanding, Implementation, and Support Model will be developed while maximizing the utility of food safety education programs developed during the previous study. This project will develop and implement a customized produce safety education program for the hard-to-reach and socially disadvantaged target population; the Deaf and hard of hearing farmers in the Pacific Northwest.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of our project is to ensure food safety through education and training of growers. The goal of this proposalis to deliver effective food safety training to underserved farmers operating small and very-small farms in the PacificNorthwest (i.e. Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) with focus on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce safetyRule (PSR) and shifting towards compliance with this rule. This project will specifically target the Deaf and hard of hearingpopulation that often have limited access to up-to-date information and training in food safety with emphasis on the PSR. Wepropose to achieve these goals by pursuing three specific objectives of:(1) Development of a culturally sensitive education program on FSMA with emphasis on the introduction to compliancewith the Produce Safety Regulations (PSR) using American Sign Language (ASL).(2) Delivery of training workshops online and in-person based upon an instructional approach that encompasses theUnderstanding, Implementation, and Support [UIS] model for the Deaf and hard of hearing learners.(3) Program evaluation and dissemination of the training program nationwide for maximum impact and sustainabledelivery.
Project Methods
Objective 1: Development of a culturally sensitive education program on introductory FSMA Produce Safety Regulations using American Sign Language (ASL).The development of education program for the Deaf and hard of hearing farmers will be multi-faceted and follow a series of steps described below to ensure cultural sensitivity and comprehensive coverage of technical contents pertaining to Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and the FSMA PSR. In all cases, "education and training programs" referred in this proposal indicates the production of contents in American Sign Language (ASL) as well as printed materials in English.Step 1-a. Pilot test - Development of introductory FSMA PSR training for the Deaf and hard of hearing will first focus on identifying effective instructional strategies for the target population in collaboration with the deaf education experts including Transition Coordinators at participating schools, as they are experienced in training students (beyond high school or 18+ years old) with career skills. Development of customized instructional strategy is of particular importance in deaf education because the reading levels and availability of signs for technical terms (or meanings) vary widely among the Deaf and hard of hearing learners in different geographic areas.Step 1-b. Program development - Information derived from evaluation of Step 1-a will be utilized in developing the education and training program in its entirety. As indicated above, instruction recording in ASL will be: (i) a part of "online" delivery and (ii) accompanied by a written manual in English. It should be noted that, in comparison with written English, ASL is more effective and the preferred method of delivery for many Deaf and hard of hearing learners. All education program/modules will be made using ASL and Co-PD Ball will lead the effort to examine the accuracy of signs and translations (from English to ASL).Step 1-c. Evaluation & Feedback - The completed education and training program will be evaluated by a focus group consisting of volunteers from the target population, deaf education experts, ASL interpreters, assessment specialist, and the project team. Feedback from the focus group is essential to ensure content validity, feasibility, and effective delivery of the education and training program. Particular attention will be given to the accuracy of sign language for proper interpretation of technical terms and concepts, structure of modules for optimal learning experience and retention of the knowledge, and promoting compliance in their farming practice. Necessary adjustment or revision will be made before the implementation of the education and training program in Objective 2 (Year 2 and 3). The assessment specialist will participate in the focus group for better understanding of the project including technical contents and target population while providing informal assessment of the program.Objective 2: Delivery of training workshops online and in-person based upon an instructional approach that encompasses Understanding, Implementation, and Support [UIS] model for the Deaf and hard of hearing learners.Understanding, Implementation, and Support (UIS) Model - The UIS Model is derived from working with preservice teachers in deaf education as well as experienced teachers attending the Intermountain Special Study Institute on Deafness (ISSI). For preservice students, the model is distributed rather equally among the three components with 'understanding' being a significant component of all coursework, especially courses in deaf education, but also in other related areas such as speech pathology and audiology. Implementation is significant during student teaching when the integration of knowledge and many skills (especially communication skills) are required.Step 2-a. Recruitment - A total of 90 current and prospective farmers will be recruited. In that this project is rather unique, there is a need to give recruiting of participants some special attention. Unlike other efforts to support participants, such as farmers and processors of mainstream agricultural sectors, the Deaf and hard of hearing farmers are socially disadvantaged and hard to reach as many resides in remote areas without adequate resources or access to opportunities for training. As such this will require some effort to recruit participants who fit the demographics throughout the project period. Therefore, the project will develop a recruiting brochure providing information about food safety education program as well as the need to understand and comply with FSMA PSR.Step 2-b. Implementation - In person training will be offered at the partner schools e.g., Oregon School for the Deaf. These "Schools" are ideal locations for training since they are considered as "home" or hub for many Deaf and hard of hearing populations with a long-standing history of providing education and community activities for the target population. Important aspects of the implementation assignment are: (i) demonstrate produce safety concept knowledge, (ii) ability to create and use meaningful action plans, and (iii) to give and share constructive feedback. It may be noted that these skills are necessary for the trainees to understand and to properly execute farming practices in compliance with the FSMA PSR.Step 2-c. Evaluation & Feedback - While program level evaluation is carried out by appointed evaluation specialist independently, evaluation of each workshop and feedback from the participants will be sought to improve the content and delivery of the curriculum. This will serve as checkpoints to achieve desired learning outcome. Similar to Step 1-c. particular attention will be given to the accuracy of signs of technical terms and concepts and acquisition of the knowledge among the deaf learners.Objective 3: Program evaluation and dissemination of the training program nationwide for maximum impact and sustainable delivery.Step 3-a. Program evaluation - An evaluation specialist will be hired to work independently while collaborating closely with the project team to ensure program effectiveness and implementation by farmers. Program evaluation will include pre and post assessment on knowledge of the in-person and online content and well as intent to change on-farm practices to conform with new regulations and meet buyer expectations. Online surveys and assessment of knowledge gained will be built into the online modules and required for participants to continue through the training. Where possible, evaluation information from each cohort would be used for comparisons.Step 3-b. Dissemination - Once completed, the content will be shared with stakeholders including growers and Deaf communities. We anticipate our educational materials will ultimately be utilized by organizations across the United States. Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety (WRCEFS) has committed to sharing of the content to their partner organizations and through their annual meeting. We will also make the content available through eXtension, an online-based collaborative environment for land-grant universities.