title: Cultural Competence Training for Law Enforcement Responding to Domestic Violence Emergencies With the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate a training workshop for law enforcement as first responders for the purpose of increasing officers' cultural competency in working with Deaf and hard-of-hearing people (Deaf/HH) during domestic violence (DV) emergencies.
  
  
  METHODS
  This evaluation assesses the efficacy of a 2-hour training workshop for law enforcement. Thirty-four participants completed questionnaires at pre- and postintervention to assess participants' (1) satisfaction with training; (2) skills in responding to Deaf/HH individual(s) in a DV emergency; (3) attitudes toward the Deaf/HH, including bias recognition, self-assessment of cultural competency, and perceived self-efficacy; and (4) knowledge of communication. Focus groups (FGs) were also conducted (n = 6 for FG1, n = 13 for FG2). SPSS software was used to analyze survey data; principal components analysis was conducted on the survey instruments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences between pre- and posttests for several targeted outcomes, including knowledge and perceived self-efficacy. Both survey and FG results demonstrated that participants gained cultural competency skills as indicated by changes in attitudes toward the Deaf/HH, both in DV emergencies and in large-scale emergencies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant differences were evident between pre and posttest results in terms of knowledge and perceived self-efficacy. Nonetheless, survey participants demonstrated a lack of knowledge about policy and the law. Survey findings also suggest that while a onetime training can improve the perceived self-efficacy of participants, shifting attitudes about the capabilities of the Deaf/HH may require different training strategies. FG participants demonstrated a greater awareness of the complexity of working with this population in a DV emergency.
authors.affiliation: California State University, East Bay, CA, USA alina.engelman@csueastbay.edu.
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engelman
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Julianna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deardorff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000193:education*; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004630:Emergencies / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D016495:Police / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D015397:Program Evaluation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cultural competence; disabilities; disaster and emergency preparedness; program planning and evaluation; qualitative evaluation; quantitative evaluation