Visual Learning Media for Deaf New American Farming

This project will develop visual learning modules for beginning farmer education for the cross-cultural community of deaf farmers. Beginning farmers need to acquire numerous competencies, from production basics to equipment, post-harvest handling, and marketing. Written materials - books, manuals, online information, etc. - can be fundamental learning tools for most communities, but are often inaccessible to those with very limited written and spoken language literacy and education.

Using a participatory, community engaged approach, this project will develop a series of modules for primary farming practices. They will apply a universal design approach to education that will address significant lack of access to knowledge and practices for Deaf immigrants and New American refugees.

Project objectives from proposal:

This project seeks to create a visual farm manual for SCHF that can be adapted and utilized by others working with the Deaf Community. Content will include short ‘how-to’ videos without spoken content. Additionally, a companion photo guide will be created that goes through best practices. Content will be focused on different aspects of a farming activity. The manual will take viewers through the growing season starting with crop planning, seeding, transplanting, harvest, post-harvest handling, and marketing.

Objective 1: To create a total of 15-20 videos highlighting best practices, tools, and techniques for efficient vegetable production and sales for the Deaf Community.

Objective 2: To create a companion photo guide to supplement videos, to be shared with Deaf farmers at SCHF and beyond.

Objective 3: To enhance 13 farmers’ knowledge and skills in vegetable production and marketing at SCHF.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.