01/14/2026
We are excited to share our Year 2 plans as of this winter. In this update, Earl shares information about our current Deaf Weight Wise (DWW) Implementation Research, which highlights our first partner, DEAF, Inc.
Please reach out to NCDHR with any questions or concerns, ncdhr@urmc.rochester.edu, (585) 228-2299 VP.
Accessibility notes: Video is in ASL with English subtitles. Transcript included with video description below.
The video begins with an image with a winter theme, dominated by a deep blue background. The title "WINTER UPDATE" and "YEAR 2 [2025-2026]" are written in a large, bold, and modern sans-serif font, using a vibrant yellow color. Three stylized white snowflakes are scattered across the background, one in each corner, and one at the top left. At the bottom left, the logo for "NCDHR" (National Center for Deaf Health Research) is placed, along with the full name and "Rochester Prevention Research Center" in smaller text below it. On the bottom right, "EARL ALLEN" is listed, followed by "RESEARCH COORDINATOR" below it. The same yellow font is used.
Earl, an African American male, is wearing a coral pink polo shirt and black glasses. He is seated at a table and wearing a black smartwatch on his left wrist. Behind him is a dark blue background with logos and text on the right. First is the University of Rochester Medical Center logo with the yellow-and-blue shield that says "Meliora." Second is the "NCDHR” – followed by our “’health’ sign” in abstract ASL and text below: “National Center for Deaf Health Research Rochester Prevention Research Center."
Earl (ASL): “Hello, I’m here to share an update on our Year 2 plans. As mentioned previously, we received our Year 2 funding to continue our implementation research work until September 2026.Our implementation research focuses on what helps (or doesn’t help) our community partners to run and maintain the Deaf Weight Wise program within their sites and locations. DWW is a 16-week healthy lifestyle intervention. All DWW sessions are hosted by a Deaf Coach with Deaf community members.”
While Earl is signing, a logo briefly appears on the lower right side of the screen. This image is a logo for "Deaf Weight Wise" in white. From left to right, the first circular icon depicts a stylized heart shape, with a check mark incorporated into it. The second icon features a group of interconnected figures, presumably representing people, holding hands and forming a circle, their arms raised upwards. The final icon shows a fork and a spoon, arranged on a white circle. Below these icons, the text "Deaf Weight Wise" is displayed in a script font.
Earl continues: “During this cycle (and this year), we are focused on implementing DWW outside of New York. With this update, we are also happy to share that our first partner to implement DWW will be DEAF, Inc. from Massachusetts.”
A screenshot of a website briefly appears. Across the top in a bold, yellow font are "www.deafincma.org" on the left and social media icons for Facebook and Instagram on the right, followed by "". Below, a dark blue banner displays navigation links: "Home", "About", "Join Our Team", "News", "Contact", with "DONATE" and "SUBSCRIBE" buttons. The banner is segmented into sections with different background colors. From left to right: green labeled "Advocacy, Resources, and Education Services (ARES)", purple labeled "DeafBlind Community Access Network (DBCAN)", and orange labeled "IMPACT". The main image features a scene of people interacting outdoors. In the foreground, a woman wearing a police officer uniform is giving a high five to a man in a navy blue shirt and a green cap, both of whom have their backs to the camera. Another man is visible between them. The background includes a table with various items on it, people, cars parked on the side of a street, and some houses. The man between the high-fiving pair has a number "21" pinned to his shirt. Overlaid on the image in large white text are the words "UPLIFTING OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 45 YEARS". Beneath this is smaller text stating "Dedicated to Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind and Late-Deafened Lives in Massachusetts."
Earl continues: “DEAF, Inc. was established in 1977 and has a long history of providing direct services and resources to Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, and Late-Deafened people in Eastern Massachusetts and statewide.”
As Earl is signing, a logo appears alongside on the lower right part of the screen. The central design element is a stylized representation of two clenched fists in white. These fists are positioned in the top-left portion of the image, in a position of solidarity. On the right of the fists is a white silhouette of the state of Massachusetts, which contains the words "DEAF INC." in a bold, sans-serif font. Below "DEAF INC." and within the white rectangle is "EST. 1977" in a smaller, but still clear font.
Earl continues: “In addition to implementing DWW with our community partners, we are currently hosting an evaluation survey for all NCDHR community partners, which includes our DWW Community Committee, Local Partner Advisory Board (LPAB), and National External Advisory Committee (NEAC).”
A screenshot of a slide briefly appears. At the top, the logo "NCDHR" is prominent, followed by the text "Community Engagement" in a clean sans-serif font. The main body of the image features a purple circular outline encompassing a list of committees. These include "National External Advisory Committee," "Local Partner Advisory Board," "RPRC: NCDHR Executive Committee," "Deaf Weight Wise (DWW) Community Committee," and "Healthy Living with Hearing Loss (HL2) Community Committee." Each committee is represented by a green rectangular box with white text. To the right of the committee list, several additional elements are present. A dark blue map of the United States indicates the geographical focus. Below the map, the text "Rochester, NY" is displayed, further contextualizing the location. A star-shaped logo with blue segments is also visible. Below the "Rochester, NY" label are multiple icons, each representing a city: Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. These icons appear to be related to the health initiatives. Beneath the cities, the phrase "DEAF WEIGHT WISE" is written in green. Also featured is a logo, "HL2," along with the phrase "Healthy Living with Hearing Loss" in blue.
Earl continues: “This survey is intended to provide space for our community partners to further provide feedback on our Center's functioning, as well as provide insight into future research topics and what may be a priority for our communities. This is an evaluation project in progress; we hope to share updates with the community-at-large once we can review survey results with our partners. Please contact us if you have any questions for our team or would like to learn more. Thank you.”
The video ends with a slide, showing at the top, centered, is the logo of the National Center for Deaf Health Research (NCDHR). The logo features the letters "NCDHR" in a sans-serif white font, with the health logo next to it. Beneath the logo, in a smaller white font, is the text "National Center for Deaf Health Research / Rochester Prevention Research Center".
Below the logo, centered in the image, is the text "FOR QUESTIONS OR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE NCDHR TEAM", in a bold, yellow sans-serif font. Further down, centered, is the contact information: "NCDHR@URMC.ROCHESTER.EDU" followed by "(585) 228-2299 VP". The email address and phone number are in white font. In the bottom right corner is a white snowflake graphic.
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