Happy April!
March was a month focused on building long term infrastructure, strengthening partnerships, and laying the groundwork for future research and advocacy. Thanks to your continued support, Global Deaf Research Institute is expanding its global reach while deepening the systems needed to sustain deaf led work worldwide. Here’s what we’ve been working on.
Expanding Global Infrastructure and Partnerships
This month we took important steps toward expanding our international presence. We traveled to Vancouver, Canada to begin setting up the foundation for our transnational work, including starting the process of establishing a bank account for Global Deaf Research Institute in Canada. This is a critical step toward building relationships with donors, organizations, and government partners in the country.
We also continued building relationships in Brazil following recent work with government officials and deaf leaders. Establishing these relationships takes time, but it is essential to ensuring that future national deaf needs assessments are grounded in strong local collaboration.
Laying the Groundwork for Future Research
In March, we began strengthening relationships with the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. These early conversations are focused on long term collaboration that could support a future city wide needs assessment for deaf people in New York City.
We also continued developing Deaf Voices Counted: Dominican Republic. This included revising our proposal and budget with local partners to ensure the program is sustainable and aligned with community needs. We are aiming to conduct Dominican Republic’s first national deaf needs assessment in beginning of 2027 after getting funding from the government.
Strengthening Funding and Sustainability
We finalized and submitted a grant application to the Deaf Organizations Fund Impact Grant. If awarded, this funding would allow us to invest more deeply in our donor program and expand our grantmaking capacity.
In addition, we held several strategic conversations with mentors and potential donors to shape our long term fundraising strategy. These discussions are helping guide our planning for future events and ensuring that we are building a strong and sustainable foundation for Global Deaf Research Institute.
Building Knowledge for Stronger Advocacy
This month we participated in a philanthropy tax policy workshop to better understand how policy decisions shape charitable giving. This knowledge helps us identify new opportunities for individuals and communities to support Global Deaf Research Institute. It helped us understand how recent tax policy changes influence charitable giving. The new policy allows individuals to donate an additional $1,000 beyond the standard deduction. This encourages broader community support rather than relying primarily on government funding or grants.
We also continued engaging in global policy conversations through the World Health Organization Disability Health Equity Network. These discussions help align our work with broader international efforts to improve health equity for disabled communities.
Expanding Impact Through Data and Training
We continued developing the Deaf Voices Counted program by expanding its focus to include data literacy training. This work ensures that deaf leaders and organizations can effectively use research findings in advocacy, public speaking, and grant applications. Strengthening these skills helps turn data into action and empowers communities to advocate for their own needs.
Looking Ahead
As we move forward, we will continue building the relationships, systems, and funding needed to expand deaf led research globally. From Canada to the Dominican Republic to New York City, these efforts are laying the foundation for future impact.
If you would like to help us continue this work and expand our impact, we invite you to donate and stand with Global Deaf Research Institute through here: www.globaldeafresearch.
Your support makes this work possible. Thank you for standing with us, strengthening our global community, and helping ensure that deaf voices are centered in research, policy, and advocacy worldwide.
With gratitude,
The GDRI Team
