It's not easy being deaf if you happen to be born in a developing (Third World) nation.

• Less than one-fifth of all deaf people in poor nations receive any education.
• Most deaf people in poor nations cannot read their own name.
• Most deaf people in developing nations cannot count to 10.
• Unemployment rates in the deaf community are high.
• Many developing nations deny basic human rights to their deaf and hard of hearing citizens.
  • According to statistics released by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), at least 26 nations do not permit their deaf citizens to earn a driver's license.
  • A few nations have put legal limits on the rights of deaf people to marry and raise the family they choose.
  • Deaf people in some developing nations do not have the right to vote in elections.

The key to overcoming oppression is an educated, informed populace. As the only liberal arts university for deaf and hard of hearing people in the world, Gallaudet University offers quality education to these populations. However, most deaf and hard of hearing people in developing nations cannot afford to come to Gallaudet.

On Aug. 12, 1991, the International Deaf Education and Advancement Fund (I-DEAF), an endowed scholarship fund, was established at Gallaudet University to help the deaf communities of developing nations.

• The fund was founded through the generosity of Gallaudet students, their families, and other people concerned about the fate of deaf and hard of hearing people in developing nations.
• Scholarships are given annually to deaf and hard of hearing students at Gallaudet who come from a developing nation and plan to go home after graduation to help the deaf community of their nation in educational and social advancement.
• As of the 2000-2001 school year, I-DEAF has given scholarships to a total of nine Gallaudet undergraduate and graduate students.
• These students have come from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
• Awards have ranged in size from $700 to $3000.

When you give to I-DEAF, remember that the impact of your contributions will be felt around the world.

Please make a gift to support this important cause and help deaf and hard of hearing people from developing nations benefit from all Gallaudet has to offer.

Thank you for your consideration.

"Deaf education in this country has enabled us in the deaf community to take our rightful role as important contributors to U.S. society. It is now time we help those in less developed countries to reach their full potential."
Andrea Shettle
Author of Flute Song Magic
Founder, I-DEAF

"We are very grateful to [I-DEAF's] founder, Andrea Shettle, for her quick response to the depressing WFD report about education of deaf children in developing countries. Deaf people around the world will certainly appreciate her exemplary efforts. The fact that 80 percent of deaf children in developing countries have no access to education is a serious challenge for us. We believe that deaf people in industrialized countries themselves should assume the responsibility to help deaf individuals in developing countries to get proper training ... to find ways to improve the quality of life among deaf people in their countries. The I-DEAF is a good example of such efforts."
Dr. Yerker Andersson
President (1983-95)
World Federation of the Deaf

"I was very pleased to learn about the establishment of I-DEAF. Its goal of providing scholarships to needy foreign students at Gallaudet University responds to an urgent requirement for deaf leadership in developing nations. I have witnessed firsthand the desperate plight of deaf people in several African countries where educated deaf people are so rare they are widely believed to be ineducable, unemployable, and unmarriageable. Many European nations have recognized the necessity of extending a helping hand to deaf people in the Third World; it is long past time we did the same."
Dr. Harlan Lane
Distinguished Professor
Northeastern University
Recipient, MacArthur Foundation Award
Author of When the Mind Hears

I-DEAF awards are granted annually in the spring.

1994: Maurice Ssenyonga, who is from Uganda, graduated from Gallaudet in December 1994 with a bachelor's degree in social work. He returned to Uganda the following month and has since established a school for deaf children, supported the Ugandan National Association of the Deaf in gaining recognition in his country for Uganda Sign Language as the language of the local deaf community, and is helping deaf adults obtain the training they need for employment. Read a letter he wrote in March 1996 about life in Uganda and his accomplishments.

1995: Santina Mwarania, who is from Kenya, graduated from Gallaudet in May 1995 with a bachelor's degree in social work. She also obtained a masters degree in school counseling, also from Gallaudet University, in December 1997. She plans to educate Kenyan schools about school counseling programs and help establish such programs so that students can get the counseling services they need.

1996: Santina Mwarania (see 1995).

1997: Susana Stiglich, who is from Peru, graduated from Gallaudet in May 1996 with a bachelor's degree in early education and graduated again from Gallaudet in May 1998 with a masters degree in family centered early childhood education. She has now returned to Lima, Peru, where she is employed as a teacher. She hopes to be able to establish an organization for local parents of deaf children.

1998: J. Eugenio Ravelo-Mendoza from Venezuela was the 1998 recipient. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from Gallaudet for financial reasons. He recently contacted me via e-mail to share that he is still hoping to eventually return to school, either at Gallaudet or at a university in England. In the meanwhile, he is working to establish a center on deaf studies in Venezuela that would study the local signed language and culture.

1999: The name of the 1999 recipient is being held pending permission from the recipient to use her name.

2000: During the 1999-2000 academic year, for the first time, I-DEAF granted scholarship awards to two students.

2001: Scholarship awards were given to two students during the 2000-2001 academic year.

Two article reprints are available through this page.

I-DEAF recipient has ambitious plans, originally printed in the March 14, 1994 issue of On the Green. This article was printed shortly after Maurice Ssenyonga became I-DEAF's first scholarship recipient.

To give to I-DEAF, write a check payable to Gallaudet University and write the name of the fund in the memo line. If you are paying in a currency other than U.S. dollars, you may instead use an International Coupon Order.

Gifts to I-DEAF may be mailed to:

          Development Office
          Gallaudet University
          800 Florida Avenue, NE
          Washington, DC 20002-3695
          United States of America

For more information on I-DEAF, contact the founder, Andrea Shettle, at ashettle @ patriot.net However, please note that Andrea Shettle is NOT responsible for making decisions about the distribution of I-DEAF scholarships or any other scholarships at Gallaudet. Also, I am NOT an organization, nor am I directly affiliated with any organization at this time. I am NOT able to help you directly with scholarships or other kinds of aid. If you are interested in RECEIVING scholarships, then please see my list of other scholarship programs.

For more information on how to give to I-DEAF, or to Gallaudet University in general, contact Cathy Sweet-Windham, director of Annual and Major Giving, in the Development Office at Gallaudet.

I am a student from a developing country myself. I need financial assistance. What can you suggest?

Unfortunately, I-DEAF is still a relatively small fund. Its endowment only attracts enough interest to provide up to $3700 in scholarship assistance per year. That is why it is currently limited to eligible Gallaudet students. It is growing every year as more people make contributions, but it will be a while before I-DEAF can help large numbers of people each year.

In the meanwhile, I have compiled a list with other possible sources of scholarship funding with the help of Gallaudet students from developing countries. This list is not comprehensive; more suggestions are welcome, including suggestions helpful to people from developing countries studying in countries other than the United States.

To qualifiy for I-DEAF, you need to be enrolled at Gallaudet. See the Gallaudet University web page for more information on Gallaudet and how you can apply to be admitted. If you are interested in attending Gallaudet, or if you are already a Gallaudet student, then contact the Gallaudet Financial Aid office to discuss your options. Scholarships for international students at Gallaudet are very limited, but I-DEAF is not the only option for you. I established I-DEAF, but I am not the person who chooses I-DEAF recipients. The Financial Aid office is the best place to ask what you need to do to get scholarship assistance from I-DEAF or any other source of aid. Also see my list of other scholarships for more ideas of where you can find scholarship money. Pretty much everything I know about international scholarships is in my list of other scholarships and other advice for international students.

I want to attend a university in the United States. Can you please help me?

The most frequent reason why people contact me is to ask for help. I usually tell them see my list of other scholarships for more ideas on how to get financial assistance. If you are interested in attending Gallaudet, you should contact them directly. I am NOT the person to ask about attending Gallaudet, or about receiving Gallaudet scholarships. Gallaudet's web page is at http://www.gallaudet.edu. I wish I could help more. I really do. Unfortunately, I do not have power or authority within Gallaudet University. Nor do I have the power or authority to change U.S. immigration laws.

I am interested in working for the empowerment of deaf and hard of hearing people in developing countries. I would like to be in touch with other people like me so we can all share information and ideas about the educational and social advancement of deaf and hard of hearing people in developing nations.

You may be interested in the Deaf Empowerment and Advancement Fellowship INTernational List (deafintl). This group was created for people like you. It is a discussion group conducted entirely in e-mail. Deafintl is open to everyone who has an interest in facilitating the self-empowerment of deaf and hard of hearing people in developing countries. For more information, see the deafintl page DISCLAIMER: deafintl has no association, official or otherwise, with Gallaudet University. This list also has no connection with I-DEAF beyond the coincidence that both were established by the same person.

This page has been accessed times since August 4, 1996.

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This page was last updated on 1 February 2004 by Andrea Shettle, who can be reached at ashettle @ patriot.net. Please let me remind you, again, that Andrea Shettle is NOT able to give you money. She is NOT an organization. She does NOT run a scholarship fund. She does NOT work at Gallaudet University. She does NOT have any authority over Gallaudet's admission policies or procedures. If you are looking for scholarships, then please see my list of other scholarships for some ideas. If you are having problems with the admissions process at Gallaudet, please communicate directly with the appropriate Gallaudet personnel. International students may wish to communicate with both the Gallaudet University admissions office and the Gallaudet Center for Global Education. Thank you.

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