Minor in Disability Inclusive DRR & Emergency Planning
The Disability Inclusive DRR & Emergency Planning is an 18-credit graduate certificate program/undergraduate minor track developed to train professionals in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Emergency Planning (EP) principles and tools. The world’s first program to train professionals in deaf-centered disaster and emergency planning activities, program components emphasize direct community engagement to support capacity-building of communities’ own mitigation and resilience planning, resource development, advocacy, and other relevant skill-sets. Taught by an interdisciplinary faculty from Gallaudet University’s IDMA, Information Technology, Interpreting and Translation, Public Administration, Public Health, and Social Work programs, the program trains professionals to work in the growing fields of disaster and emergency management, especially those who want to contribute to community participatory approaches to understanding and planning for deaf community adaptation and resilience. The certificate program/minor track also emphasizes building DRR and EP activities from local community leadership, centering local cultures and languages in all aspects of DRR and EP design, planning, monitoring and evaluation, research, and advocacy. The program curriculum foregrounds biocultural and linguistic diversity in sustaining community safety and well-being, as demonstrated through content centered on information and communication prepared in local languages, community participatory needs assessment, community-centered project design and program development, policy formulation that advances intersectional cultural and linguistic rights, and intercultural/interlingual advocacy with government and non-governmental agencies and organizations.
To enroll in the undergraduate minor track, students must: 1) have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or above; 2) be in or approaching the junior or senior year; 3) have completed at least 18 credits of introductory courses from the list of pre-approved STAMP and Social Work courses; 4) meet with their academic advisor and the certificate program administrator to develop a study plan.
All minor track students will pay a fee of $1250 to cover travel, room, and board for the Summer Institute, coordinated by Education Abroad in a country where disaster planning activities are taking place.
Admissions Requirements
Undergraduate students interested in pursuing a minor track in Disaster and Emergency Planning within their undergraduate Public Health, Social Work or other undergraduate degree program, must demonstrate evidence of:
- Current enrollment in a Gallaudet undergraduate program.
- Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.8 or above
- Complete 18 credits of prerequisite courses from the list below and earn a “C” or better:
- BIO 105 Human Biology
- BIO 107 Principles of Biology I
- BIO 108 Principles of Biology II
- BIO 109L Principles of Biology I - Laboratory
- BIO 110L Principles of Biology II - Laboratory
- BIO 233 Anatomy
- BIO 241 Ecology
- BIO 333 Physiology
- BUS 101 Introduction to Business
- BU 211 Management and Organizational Behavior
- BUS 341 Business Ethics
- INT 101 Intro to Interpreting
- INT 223 Interactive Discourse Analysis
- INT 325 Fundamentals of Interpreting
- INT 340 Interpreting Interaction: Translation and Consecutive Interpretation
- INT 344 Interpreting Interaction: Medical
- PHI 450 Bioethics and the Deaf Community
- PHS 202 Foundations of Environmental Health
- PHS 203 Introduction to Personal and Community Health
- PHS 204 Foundations in Global Health
- PHS 301 Behavior Health Interventions: Planning and Evaluation
- PHS 370 Health Disparities in the DHH Community
- RMI 201 Introduction to Risk Management and Insurance
- RMI 301 Property & Casualty Insurance
- RMI 310 Insurance Company Operations
- RMI 401 Topics in Risk Management and Insurance
- RMI 410 Enterprise Risk Management
- SWK 203 Introduction to Social Work
- SWK 304 Social Welfare Policy
- SWK 307 Human Behavior and the Social Environment in Micro
- SWK 308 Human Behavior and the Social Environment in Macro
- SWK 318 Human Diversity
- SWK 337 Case Management
Undergraduate students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor in their home program and the IDMA program director as early as possible to determine eligibility for the minor track.
To declare the DEP minor, interested students should:
- Contact their Academic & Career Success Advisor (for undeclared students) or their Faculty Advisor (for declared students) and confirm readiness to declare the minor.
- Contact the DEP program at dep@gallaudet.edu to discuss the minor track application process, which includes the following:
- A one-page written essay and a video in ASL responding to admission questions indicating the reason for your interest in pursuing a minor focused on Deaf leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction & Emergency Planning.
- Copy of unofficial transcript.
- One letter of recommendation.
- Interview with DEP faculty.
- Demonstrated proficiency in American Sign Language and English (via personal statement, ASL video, and interview).
Technology requirements and Computer Requirements/skills: A Mac or PC computer with access to the internet capable of running a most recent and updated web browser is necessary for participation in our online courses. The minimum operating system is Windows XP or higher for PC and MacOS 10.5 or higher for Mac. See Online Computer Requirements for more detailed information. Students are responsible for obtaining their own Internet access and are expected to have basic computer and internet literacy prior to the start of the course, including use of email, word processing programs, presentation programs (such as PowerPoint), and the internet to search.
Summary of Requirements
Summer I
| DEP 601/PST 378 | Interdisciplinary Foundations in Deaf-Centered Disability Inclusive DRR & Emergency Planning | 3 |
Fall I
| IDP775/PST 381 | Project Design and Implementation for Social Change | 3 |
Fall I Electives
Choose one of the following:
| MPA710 | Introduction to Public Administration | 3 |
| MPA719 | Social Equity in Public Administration | 3 |
| MPA796 | Communication in Public Administration | 3 |
| MSW713/PST 385 | Issues in Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Populations | 3 |
| PHS 202/PST 409 | Foundations of Environmental Health | 3 |
Spring I
| IDP774/PST 380 | Program Development and Evaluation for Social Change | 3 |
Spring I Electives
Choose one of the following:
| DAS 532U/PST 382 | Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| MPA716 | Quality Management in Public Sector and Non-Profit Organizations | 3 |
| PHS 301/PST 384 | Behavioral Health Interventions: Planning and Evaluation | 3 |
| PHS 370 | Health Disparities in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community | 3 |
| Trauma and Resiliency with Deaf Communities | 3 |
Summer II
| DEP 602/PST 379 | Summer Institute: Deaf-Centered Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction & Emergency Planning Fieldwork | 3 |
Program Outcomes
1) Describe the relationships between climate change, disasters, and human adaptation and resilience with respect to international research findings and policy recommendations.
2) Identify the needs of deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-disabled people and communities in disaster planning and relief.
3) Describe the theory, practice, and purpose of Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction.
4) Demonstrate knowledge of government systems and international treaties and mechanisms governing Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Planning (e.g. IASC, UN Security Council Resolution on PWD in situations of conflict).
5) Conduct community participatory disaster risk assessment and mitigation planning with deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing people and people with disabilities, their families, and communities.
6) Advocate for development of information and communication materials, mitigation planning and response protocols, disability inclusive policy guidance, and hiring of deaf DRR trainers and specialists with organizations and government entities.