From the Global Disability Summit in Berlin to the United Nations Conference of State Parties, GDRI has spent the past six months deepening global partnerships and advocating for deaf inclusion at the highest levels. With the relaunch of their flagship initiative as Deaf Voices Counted and an upcoming expansion into the Dominican Republic, GDRI continues to center deaf-led, community-driven research worldwide.
Published by: Global Deaf Research Institute (GDRI) 2028 East Ben White Boulevard #240-7215 Austin, Texas 78741 GDRI © 2024 Abstract The Deaf Community Research initiative, flagship of the Global Deaf Research Institute, is an ambitious undertaking in data collection which will begin to fill the global gaps in disaggregated health data on deaf populations. At its core, each deployment is a Community Needs Assessment for the deaf community of a given country, aiming to create a snapshot of their quality of life at the present day. We operate on the social model of disability and the [...]
Authors: Alina Engelman, Saminu Ismail, Jordan Fenlon, Emily Jo Noschese, Lorne Farovitch Water Security, Volume 24, April 2025, 100188, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasec.2025.100188 Abstract Drought and flooding caused by climate change as well as regional and global conflicts mean that access to both water and food is becoming increasingly precarious worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Deaf and disabled people worldwide have historically struggled to access basic needs, including access to nutritious food, sanitation and clean, potable water. Access to clean water and food is a daily challenge for many Nigerians, particularly in the northern regions. Our first-of-its kind exploratory study of 150 deaf [...]
GDRI and its University of Utah collaborators met with Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health to explore adapting three years' worth of accessible diabetes health resources into Ecuadorian Sign Language, with the Ministry now drafting an official agreement to advance the work. The development marks another step in GDRI's commitment to sustaining lasting partnerships beyond individual research deployments.
Authors: Lorne Farovitch, Leah Oakes The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Volume 30, Issue 2, April 2025, Pages 284–285, https://doi.org/10.1093/jdsade/enaf001 Introduction The Issue Deaf queer individuals face significant barriers in healthcare due to communication gaps, societal biases, and limited accessibility to sign language interpretation services. In some countries, like Ecuador, legal mandates for interpreters are absent, while in others, interpreter availability is often undermined by discrimination and inadequate training. These barriers result in miscommunication, misdiagnoses, delayed care, and low health literacy, with healthcare systems frequently failing to provide information in accessible formats. For example, the word “positive” in [...]
GDRI completed its first full-length research deployment in Ecuador, surveying more than 300 deaf Ecuadorians and conducting over 100 interviews in partnership with national organizations CONADIS and FENASEC, culminating in a town hall where initial findings were presented to representatives from Ecuador's Departments of Education, Public Health, and Labor, as well as the World Health Organization. GDRI also signed an official Cooperation Agreement with CONADIS, which will incorporate the study's findings into Ecuador's National Agenda for the Equality of Disabled People.
GDRI is entering the planning phase for its next long-term research deployment in the Dominican Republic, which stands to be the first deaf-led national survey on deaf quality of life in the country. The initiative has a fundraising goal of $25,000 USD to cover GDRI's contribution to the project.
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