International Deaf Education Association (IDEA)

A model programme providing comprehensive rehabilitation for deaf people and raising community awareness.

The project includes a school for deaf children, who pose here with Mike Davies OBE, CBM UK's Head of Programme Development. Photo:CBM

Founded in 1980 by a young Peace Corps volunteer, this project has been supported by CBM since 1993.

This is a model programme, which is providing medical, educational and livelihood services to deaf and hearing-impaired people on Bohol Island, and educating the general public about the needs and rights of deaf people at the same time. The island has a population of over 1 million, of which it is estimated that 4,000 have significant hearing loss.

Deaf children attend special resource classes, mostly in regular schools, where the medium of instruction is sign language. Hard-of-hearing children who can benefit from hearing aids, attend regular classes, but with hearing aid batteries being outside the affordability of most parents, the project is field-testing a solar-powered battery recharging unit.

CBM also trains teachers of the deaf, an increasing number of whom are getting onto the government's payroll.

At any given time, IDEA, with our support, is educating 360 deaf children, and screening 26,000 people a year for hearing loss.

IDEA runs several livelihood ventures for deaf adults, including the thriving 'Garden Café; in Tagbiliran City, where most of the staff are deaf. The menu teaches hearing customers the basics of sign language. IDEA also runs free sign language classes for hearing adults - mostly the parents of deaf children, but also other interested members of the community.