WESTWOOD—The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is looking for Deaf and Hard of Hearing participants for a deaf genetics project. The Cancer Genetics Education for the Deaf Community is being funded by the National Cancer Institute to “increase the Deaf community’s access to culturally and linguistically appropriate cancer genetics information,” according to the study’s website, deafgeneticsproject.org.
The study is a three-year long project that has three phases: phase 1 consists of developing the “educational content with the help of Deaf community members” to [use] a bilingual approach “American Sign Language and English Text” [to] cover topics such as the difference between inherited cancer and non-inherited cancer,” “when cancer runs in the family,” and “genetic counseling and testing for cancer genes.”
The second phase, which is currently recruiting, “will evaluate the effect of the cancer genetics information on comprehension. [They] will address questions such as: Is it better to provide cancer genetics information using a bilingual approach compared to using English text only? Does this information increase individuals’ knowledge and understanding about cancer genetics? Does this information affect deaf individuals’ attitudes toward genetic services?” For the final stage of the study, the information gathered will be posted to DeafMD.org, who is a partner in the project.
The project is searching for deaf and/or hard of hearing people who are 18 years or older that uses ASL and has computer access. People who wish to sign up for the study will receive a $40 gift card for their participation. To sign up visit www.deafgeneticsproject.org. Those with questions are encouraged to call: (310) 954-9031 or to email deafgenetics@mednet.ucla.edu.
