About Us:
"There are those who look at things
the way they are, and ask why...
I dream of things that never were
and ask why not?"
-Robert Kennedy
History
IDP was founded in 1999 by the late Gallaudet University Professor Dr. Cristina Berdichevsky. Originally supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, its goal was to enhance foreign language learning and international internship placements among deaf college students. IDP received non-profit status in 2014 as a 501(c)3 organization from the Internal Revenue Service, thus allowing tax-deductible contributions.
What We Do
IDP provides educational opportunities through scholarships, summer camps and other endeavors to enhance community connections, social support and quality of life of deaf children and youth in our partner developing countries.
We accomplish our mission by recruiting volunteers to work with and on behalf of our partners, by raising monies to organize summer camps for deaf children and children of deaf adults, and help our partner deaf schools cover the expenses to operate their schools, by advocating for deaf rights and by promoting and preserving the indigenous sign languages of our partner deaf communities if they are at risk.
Mission
IDP’s mission is to promote social, recreational and educational opportunities for deaf people in developing countries, particularly Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. |
Vision
IDP’s vision is to promote community and personal empowerment of deaf people. We do this through cross-cultural social, educational and recreational activities within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). |
Goals
IDP provides educational opportunities through scholarships, summer camps and other endeavors to enhance community connections, social support and quality of life of deaf people around the globe. |
Founder
IDP is the brainchild of Cristina Berdichevsky, who not only refused to accept life the way it was, but was relentless in the pursuit of a dream to make the world better for those most in need.
Cristina began IDP to foster the internationalization of the field of deaf education and to improve the lives of deaf people in developing nations, where the incidence of deafness continues to rise due mostly to poor health conditions and lack of prenatal care.
Cristina was a professor of World Languages and Cultures at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., until her passing this September. She was the heart and soul of this organization and her generous and triumphant spirit will continue to lead us forward to better serve Deaf individuals in some of the world's most challenged areas.
Cristina began IDP to foster the internationalization of the field of deaf education and to improve the lives of deaf people in developing nations, where the incidence of deafness continues to rise due mostly to poor health conditions and lack of prenatal care.
Cristina was a professor of World Languages and Cultures at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., until her passing this September. She was the heart and soul of this organization and her generous and triumphant spirit will continue to lead us forward to better serve Deaf individuals in some of the world's most challenged areas.