Abstract:

Introduction - The Deaf community in Brazil lacks access to scientific knowledge and to the popular knowledge of scientific facts provided by the media. This results from the language barrier as they use sign language (Libras) as their first language and have difficulty in understanding Portuguese as a written language. This communication obstacle may hinder the dissemination of preventive information in times of epidemics. Brazil, and particularly Rio de Janeiro State, has suffered, in the last years, a number of epidemics such as zica, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever (urban cycle) transmitted by mosquitoes. Only yellow fever has a vaccine currently available and control programmes must focus on mosquito populations. Larval habitats are important sources for the maintenance of mosquito vector populations. Therefore, the Deaf community must be aware of their role as citizens in helping the prevention of the propagation of mosquito’s life cycle. Purpose - Herein we describe a pilot study trying different approaches to increase the knowledge of deaf children and youngsters on the biology of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and their importance to the dissemination of epidemics. Method - The first step was to develop the interest of this group towards the subject. Short courses, lasting one week, based on characteristics and the life cycle of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, were offered to secondary school Deaf students, using inquiry, collaborative, hands-on oriented teaching. The majority demonstrated a high motivation during the experimental course. They were free to ask the questions they wanted and to perform experiments in an attempt to answer them. One of their first questions was if mosquitoes were deaf. Despite trying different frequencies and approaches, the answer to this question became inconclusive and they were told at the end of the course that mosquitoes, male and female, could hear certain frequencies. But among the various experiments using live mosquitoes they learned to distinguish between male and female, the different phases of the cycle, their eating preferences, where they put their eggs, etc. Everything was done experimentally and not via previous information. Being able to see the various phases also led to the creation of new signs to name each stage of development, as these signs did not exist in Libras. In an attempt to engage elementary school children as well, they were offered a one-day practical course where they could see adult live mosquitos, the way they fly, their lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae) distinguish between male and female. The main objective was to interest them and this was achieved. Additionally, in an attempt to cover a wider group of people belonging to the Deaf community, a short video in Libras, explaining the zica epidemics was produced and exhibited via Facebook SURDONEWS, leading to a high number of views. Conclusion – By being able to see the subject of their study, to elaborate questions and to look for answers, Deaf students are able to develop a critical view of the problem. These various approaches led to a greater interest and understanding of the role played by the vector during the various epidemics in our country and were important for the development of new signs in Libras related to this subject.

Keywords:

Deaf, science education, sign language.