title: Engaging the Deaf American sign language community: lessons from a community-based participatory research center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Numerous publications demonstrate the importance of community-based participatory research (CBPR) in community health research, but few target the Deaf community. The Deaf community is understudied and underrepresented in health research despite suspected health disparities and communication barriers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this paper is to share the lessons learned from the implementation of CBPR in an understudied community of Deaf American Sign Language (ASL) users in the greater Rochester, New York, area.
  
  
  METHODS
  We review the process of CBPR in a Deaf ASL community and identify the lessons learned.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Key CBPR lessons include the importance of engaging and educating the community about research, ensuring that research benefits the community, using peer-based recruitment strategies, and sustaining community partnerships. These lessons informed subsequent research activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report focuses on the use of CBPR principles in a Deaf ASL population; lessons learned can be applied to research with other challenging-to-reach populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thew
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Starr
authors.forename: Poorna
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kushalnagar
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Graybill
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Velasquez
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pearson
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006302:Health Services Research; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D010379:Peer Group; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities; D012813:Sign Language; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D035502:Trust; D014481:United States