About IDE
Sixteen years of action. A new strategic vision.
International Deaf Emergency was born from crisis, and has evolved into an organization that acts before disasters occur. We are shifting from emergency response to Disaster Risk Reduction, because prevention saves more lives than reaction.
Our Mission
IDE works to ensure that deaf communities worldwide are prepared for, protected during, and resilient after disasters. Our priority is Disaster Risk Reduction, because the most effective way to save lives is to act before disasters occur.
After 16 years of frontline humanitarian work, we have learned that the goal is not to create parallel emergency systems for deaf people. The goal is to make existing systems accessible, embedding deaf inclusion into national preparedness plans, early-warning systems, and disaster response protocols.
This approach aligns with the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”: deaf people must be at the planning table, not just consulted after decisions are made.
Years of frontline impact
Individuals trained across 6 countries
Houses built in Haiti
National Deaf associations via WFD MOU
Strategic Approach
Our strategy is built on four pillars that guide every program, partnership, and investment we make.
Disaster Risk Reduction
Pre-disaster training, community preparedness, and risk awareness programs that equip deaf communities before emergencies strike. We work directly with national emergency agencies to integrate deaf-accessible early-warning protocols.
Systemic Inclusion
Making existing emergency systems accessible to deaf people rather than building parallel structures. Integration, not segregation. We audit national disaster plans and advocate for accessible early-warning protocols embedded in official emergency frameworks.
Local Empowerment
Supporting National Associations of the Deaf as key implementation partners who understand their own communities and national contexts. Local deaf leaders are trained as certified DRR specialists, not just beneficiaries.
Deaf DRR Experts
Training deaf professionals who understand disaster frameworks and can operate as specialists within their national emergency systems. Our graduates participate in national DRR committees and contribute to Sendai Framework monitoring.
Our Journey
Founded After Haiti Earthquake
One month after the devastating earthquake, Emmanuel Jacq, a deaf officer at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., traveled to Haiti and witnessed the complete communication isolation of the deaf community. IDE was born.
Haiti Operations
Organized the first accessible humanitarian camp in Haiti, with the Red Cross and Water Mission, for 400+ deaf and disabled refugees. Built 160+ houses, an inclusive school, and created 9 businesses. Recruited 50+ deaf refugees into the construction workforce.
Capacity Building Expands
Trained 400+ individuals across Haiti, Jordan, Colombia, Senegal, China, and Nepal on UNCRPD, disaster risk reduction, advocacy, and organizational development.
Sendai Framework Alignment
IDE aligns its programs with the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, placing deaf inclusion within the global DRR policy architecture.
UN World Humanitarian Summit
Listed on the UN Agenda for Humanity platform with 6 commitments. Strengthened relationships with OCHA and the European Union of the Deaf.
WFD Expert Group on Human Rights
Emmanuel Jacq serves as expert member of the World Federation of the Deaf Expert Group on Human Rights, contributing to international advocacy on deaf rights in emergency settings.
Haiti Published as an Inclusion Standard
The Humanitarian Inclusion Standards for Older People and People with Disabilities, published by the Age and Disability Consortium, carry IDE's Haiti earthquake response as a case study on pages 58 and 59, sourced to International Deaf Emergency by name: sign language status reports, teaching signing to those who could not sign, and solar street lighting in camps so deaf people could keep communicating after sundown. Emmanuel Jacq sat on the Review Group that guided the whole revision, as one of three International Disability Alliance representatives.
Building National Deaf Organizations
Created Haiti's first National Federation of the Deaf. Trained 12 local deaf organizations and established 6 new organizations in rural areas. Continuing to build capacity worldwide.
WFD Expert Group on DRR (Founder)
Emmanuel Jacq founds and coordinates the WFD Expert Group on Disaster Risk Reduction, the first deaf-led body dedicated to integrating deaf inclusion into international DRR policy and Sendai Framework monitoring.
Strategic Evolution
IDE formally shifts its vision toward Disaster Risk Reduction, recognizing that the most effective way to save lives is to act before disasters occur.
WFD Partnership Formalized
IDE and the World Federation of the Deaf, of which IDE is an international member, put their partnership on emergency work for deaf communities on a formal footing.
Leadership
Emmanuel Jacq
Founder & Executive Director (volunteer)
French Foreign Service Officer (diplomat) currently posted in Beijing, and deaf advocate. As an officer at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., Emmanuel traveled to Haiti one month after the 2010 earthquake and witnessed the complete communication isolation of the deaf community, an experience that led him to found IDE as a volunteer alongside his diplomatic career. He has served as Expert Member of the WFD Expert Group on Human Rights (2016–2019) and founded and coordinated the WFD Expert Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (2021–2023), and represents IDE in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Disability Reference Group, the humanitarian system’s standing mechanism on disability inclusion. He is named in the Humanitarian Inclusion Standards for Older People and People with Disabilities (2018) as one of three International Disability Alliance representatives on the Review Group that guided the whole revision; the same Standards publish IDE’s Haiti response as a case study. He co-authored IDE’s submission with the WFD and WASLI to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the rights of persons with disabilities in situations of risk (2015), and presented at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (Sendai, 2015) for the International Disability Alliance and as a panelist at the first UN World Humanitarian Summit (Istanbul, 2016). Holds a Master's in Political Science from UCLouvain (Magna cum Laude), completed HBS CORe, and trained in Disaster Management with the IFRC.
Deaf-Led by Design
IDE is founded and led by a deaf professional. Our leadership reflects the communities we serve, because effective advocacy for deaf people must come from deaf people.
As we grow, our board and advisory network will continue to prioritize deaf representation at every level of governance and decision-making.
“Nothing About Us Without Us”
Publications & Contributions
IDE's founder has contributed to key international humanitarian and disability rights publications, shaping the evidence base for deaf inclusion in emergency systems.
Deaf and Disabled People in Disasters, Conflicts and Humanitarian Crises
Co-authored chapter examining the systemic exclusion of deaf and disabled people from humanitarian systems, with policy recommendations aligned to the Sendai Framework.
Défi 2030 | Intégrer les personnes handicapées dans les actions humanitaires
Contributed to this French-language policy brief on integrating persons with disabilities into humanitarian action, with specific focus on deaf communities.
Deaf People in Humanitarian Action | OCHA Contribution
Contributed to OCHA's documentation of commitments at the World Humanitarian Summit, covering accessible communication for deaf people in emergency response.
WFD Position Paper on the Rights of Deaf People in Disaster Risk Reduction
Co-authored WFD Expert Group position paper aligning deaf DRR advocacy with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.
Humanitarian Inclusion Standards for Older People and People with Disabilities
IDE's Haiti earthquake response is published in these standards as a case study, sourced to International Deaf Emergency by name. Emmanuel Jacq sat on the Review Group that guided the whole revision, as one of three International Disability Alliance representatives.
Recognition & Partnerships
World Federation of the Deaf
International member of WFD, the global body for national Deaf associations, with 139 national members. WFD estimates that more than 70 million deaf people belong to signing deaf communities. WFD holds UN ECOSOC consultative status, and IDE’s field experience can inform WFD’s advocacy at that level.
IASC Disability Reference Group
Member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Disability Reference Group, which supports the inclusion of persons with disabilities across the humanitarian system. IDE's founder served on the review group for the Humanitarian Inclusion Standards for Older People and People with Disabilities (2018), a reference document across major humanitarian agencies.
501(c)(3) Status
Registered US nonprofit (EIN: 27-3191911). All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
UN Agenda for Humanity
Listed on the UN Agenda for Humanity platform with 6 commitments from the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, in coordination with OCHA.
European Union of the Deaf
Engaged with EUD on shared advocacy goals since the 2016 UN World Humanitarian Summit. IDE and EUD share aligned objectives on deaf emergency inclusion in Europe.
Disability Rights Fund
Grant recipient for capacity building programs supporting deaf organizations in Haiti and beyond.
The Balanced Model
Our work spans the full disaster cycle, with the strongest emphasis on what happens before a disaster strikes.
Before Disaster
- DRR training for deaf community leaders
- Advocacy with national emergency agencies
- Accessible early-warning system design
- Capacity building for local deaf organizations
- Inclusion of deaf people in national risk assessments
During Disaster
- Emergency fund activation via WFD network
- Coordination with OCHA and local responders
- Advocacy for accessible communication in emergency operations
- Ensuring international resources reach deaf communities
After Disaster
- Recovery program design and oversight
- Documentation and lessons-learned reports
- Advocacy for systematic improvements in national response plans
- Long-term community resilience building