Global Deaf Research Institute

The Global Deaf Research Institute is a research organization led by deaf scientists, founded in response to a widespread lack of data on deaf populations. We believe that publishing data documenting deaf peoples’ lived experiences is a powerful way to improve their quality of life. GDRI’s flagship, the Deaf Community Research initiative, is a community-led research and advocacy project. In each deployment, we engage profoundly with the local deaf community and, with their guidance, perform a national needs assessment survey. We synthesize our findings to identify significant gaps in services and develop evidence-based recommendations tailored to the community's needs. We create training modules for local educators and deaf leaders emphasizing inclusive teaching practices and data-based advocacy, and build collective power for the deaf community not only by arming them with research, but by creating a network of deaf researchers and advocates that grows with each country we visit.