Our Mission
Improve deaf quality of life globally through research, education, and strong community partnerships, driving deaf-led scholarship and evidence-based advocacy around the world.
Our Vision
Cultivate an equitable world for deaf people, ensuring equal access to resources and opportunities that promote autonomy, well-being, and thriving. Value the collective good and build a society based on mutual aid, cooperation, and sustainability.
Our Values
Promote respect for diverse identities, foster research partnerships, and encourage co-learning to address social inequalities. Commit to enhancing well-being through a positive, ecological approach, nurturing a culture of value, respect, and safety.
Numbers Around the World
Unaddressed hearing loss is the third leading cause of disability, impacting the world’s largest minority—people with disabilities. Deafness, often overlooked in mainstream research, poses significant health risks for the deaf community, limiting their access to vital services like healthcare, housing, employment, and education.
1.5 billion+
people experience some form of hearing loss
1 in 4 people
will be living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050
Putting Data To Use
Data is a powerful tool for fighting systemic inequality. It allows us to direct our efforts to where they are most needed and puts pressure on policy makers to affect change for the better.
Sporadic deaf-specific data collection efforts in various countries have yielded valuable data, and we need to build on these efforts.
We aim to utilize community led approaches, the very people affected by the outcomes of this research will be part of its design.
