On Sept. 23, 1951, the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) was established in Rome during the first World Congress of national Deaf associations under auspices of Italian Deaf Association.

The WFD is an international non-governmental organisation representing approximately 70 million Deaf people worldwide. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of these 70 million live in developing countries, where authorities are rarely familiar with their needs or desires.