In 1985, International Deaf Education Association (IDEA) US was established by Dennis Drake as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation to support the deaf ministry in Bohol and Leyte, Philippines, and to help provide the impoverished, neglected, and abused deaf children in the Philippines with education, employment opportunities, and an understanding of God’s unconditional love for them. It also provides moral and financial support to American leadership personnel working in Bohol.
In 1991, its Philippine counterpart, IDEA Philippines, was also established by Dennis Drake as a non-stock, non-profit corporation to manage the educational program in the Philippines. More than 450 deaf children are able to attend IDEA-supported special education classes on the islands of Bohol and Leyte. This is mainly made possible through a sponsorship program by which families and individuals financially support the schooling of a student assigned to them. IDEA Philippines set up a private Christian high school in the city of Tagbilaran, Bohol known as Bohol Deaf Academy. It not only offers traditional academic coursework but also vocational training.
