COLLABORATIVE FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING FARMERS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

The long-term goal of our project is to ensure food safety through education and training of growers. The goal of this proposal is to deliver effective food safety training to underserved farmers operating small and very-small farms in the Pacific Northwest (i.e. Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) with focus on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce safety Rule (PSR) and shifting towards compliance with this rule. This project will specifically target the Deaf and hard of hearing population that often have limited access to up-to-date information and training in food safety with emphasis on the PSR. We propose 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 compliance with 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 the Understanding, 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 sustainable delivery.