The Foundation for the Deaf Under the Royal Patronage of H.M. The Queen

Charity Overview

Established in 1952 The Foundation for the Deaf in Thailand was set up to cater to the special education needs of members of the community with a hearing disability. The charity provide integrated social service support to people with hearing impairment and their families, across Thailand.

The charity aims to break down all social barriers associated with hearing disabilities to help prevent sufferers from feeling isolated. The foundation provides financial support and equipment for the hearing impaired, and disseminates information concerning the rights of those unable to hear across the country. In 2014, the foundation campaigned to raise funds for cochlea implants. The charity aims to promote early diagnosis and enable all citizens to receive medical support – whether this is in the form of surgery or rehabilitation. Another area of focus for the charity is to promote education and career opportunities for members of the community living with a hearing disability.

Project Summary

The charity supports and promotes educational rights for the deaf regardless of gender, nationality and religion. The charity also collaborates with the Institute of Teachers in Thailand to help students with a hearing impediment receive the same education as mainstream students and to provide training to teachers of deaf students.

There are 21 schools for students with a hearing disability in Thailand, and the foundation is raising funds to upgrade libraries with computers and tablets for the students. Mobile devices, such as tablets also provide an easy means of communication between teachers and students.  These tablets are critical to encourage the learning process, but also provide entertainment in these student’s silent worlds.

The Foundation for the Deaf in Thailand strives to give all children with a hearing disability the means to freely communicate and to be educated to the highest level of the individual’s potential and ambition. For these children computers and tablets are essential and powerful learning tools which help to enrich their lives and encourage greater learning.

A donation from ICAP Bangkok 2014 paid for the renovation of two schools’ libraries; Prachin Buri School for Deaf in Eastern Thailand and Phang Nga School for Deaf in Southern Thailand. The libraries have been transformed, providing colourful books and engaging digital resources to create an environment where student’s with a hearing disability can read for pleasure and learning can flourish. This is especially important for students from remote and poor villages, as this new digital resource has enabled teachers to work more effectively with these students.