Action Knowledge Training for Deafness

What Action Knowledge Training for Deafness does

ACFOS (Action, Connaissance, FOrmation pour la Surdité) is a Paris-based French non-profit association founded in 1988 under Loi 1901, specializing in pre-lingual and childhood deafness. It serves as a knowledge-dissemination and continuing-education platform for the French-speaking deafness community, targeting three primary user groups: healthcare and education professionals (ENT physicians, audiologists, speech therapists, psychologists, specialized teachers), parents of deaf children and deaf individuals themselves, and the general public. The association deliberately maintains a pluralist, non-dogmatic approach that brings together diverse clinical, pedagogical, and experiential perspectives without ideological commitment.

Its core offerings include in-person professional training (2-day sessions capped at 25 participants, priced at 480–530 EUR net), biennial international colloquia (22nd edition scheduled for November 2026, with both in-person and online attendance), the quarterly peer-reviewed Connaissances Surdités journal (the only French-language publication dedicated primarily to childhood deafness), educational booklets, and a freely accessible online database of 400+ PDF documents. The technology base is minimal: a static WordPress website (acfos.org) hosted on standard infrastructure, with no proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or mobile applications.

The business model is a diversified mix of small individual transactions: annual membership subscriptions (including honorary and well-wishing tiers), per-session training fees, colloquium registrations, journal subscriptions and per-issue sales, voluntary donations processed via the HelloAsso platform, and occasional project-specific public subsidies. ACFOS explicitly aims for budget equilibrium across activities, with profitable activities (training, colloquia) cross-subsidizing deficit-generating knowledge-dissemination activities (journal, website, free PDF database). It holds DRIEETS vocational training organization accreditation (N° 117525392 75) and operates from a single Paris headquarters (49 Boulevard Pasteur, 75015) without public-facing reception.

Name

Action Knowledge Training for Deafness

Legal name

Action, Connaissance, FOrmation pour la Surdité

Website

https://acfos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACFOS is a Paris-based French non-profit association that provides professional training, biennial colloquia, and a quarterly journal on childhood deafness for healthcare and education professionals, parents of deaf children, and deaf individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional training and education for deafness care

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) Devices, Apps & Training (EDAKAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education & Accessibility-Optimized Media (UDL, AAC, Captioning) (EDAGALAH), Assistive Technology & AAC for Young Children (EDACAFAL)

Keywords

• Deafness professional training
• Deafness education conferences
• Deafness academic publishing
• Pediatric audiology resources
• Deafness association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership fees paid by active members, well-wishing members (who pay at least five times the active member rate), and honorary members (granted for outstanding service, exempt from fees). Membership fees constitute a core revenue stream supporting association operations.
2. Professional training fees: Revenue from professional training sessions. Pricing: 530 EUR net (non-member) and 480 EUR net (member) per 2-day session. Additional income from conference and study day registrations.
3. Document and publication sales: Sale of quarterly journal 'Connaissances Surdités' (available by subscription or per issue), conference proceedings, and other published documents. Revenue from document sales supports activities such as the journal and website.
4. Donations: Voluntary donations from members and supporters.
5. Public subsidies: Occasional subsidies from the State or public authorities for specific projects (e.g., interpreter provision for conferences, document publishing). ACFOS is not regularly subsidised and maintains financial independence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACFOS is a French non-profit association (Loi 1901) that delivers professional training programs, biennial international colloquia, and a quarterly academic journal (Connaissances Surdités) focused on childhood deafness. It disseminates knowledge to healthcare and education professionals, parents of deaf children, and deaf individuals through in-person training sessions, conferences, publications, and a free online documentary database of more than 400 PDFs hosted at acfos.org.

Product overview

ACFOS operates as a non-profit association offering a unified portfolio of professional training services and educational resources focused on deafness. The core offerings include professional training programs for specialists, biennial international conferences, the quarterly 'Connaissances Surdités' academic journal, published booklets, and a documentary database with over 400 free PDF resources. These products work together to support the professional development of deafness specialists and disseminate knowledge about deafness to professionals and families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Revue Connaissances Surdités: Quarterly journal published since 2002 covering topics related to deafness in children: medicine, psychology, pedagogy, genetics, linguistics. The only journal in France devoted primarily to deafness in children.

Products and services

• Professional Training Programs (Formations Professionnelles) Two-day in-person training sessions (14 hours each) for healthcare and education specialists working with deaf individuals. Topics include neuropsychology for deaf children, early care for infants at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, Alternative and Augmented Communication (CAA), and shared reading for language development. Pricing: 530 EUR non-member / 480 EUR member.
• ACFOS Colloquia Biennial international scientific conferences bringing together researchers and practitioners to discuss advances in deafness care. The 22nd colloquium (November 2026) addresses accompaniment of deaf individuals from antenatal diagnosis through adulthood. Pricing: 430 EUR non-member / 390 EUR member (315 EUR group rate).
• Connaissances Surdités Quarterly Journal Quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering medicine, psychology, pedagogy, genetics, and linguistics related to childhood deafness. The only French-language journal primarily dedicated to childhood deafness. Available by annual subscription or per-issue purchase.
• Educational Booklets and Publications Educational publications including the booklets 'C'est quoi la surdité?' (What is Deafness?) and 'Troubles de l'équilibre chez l'enfant' (Balance Disorders in Children), available as free PDFs.
• Online Documentary Database Online searchable database hosted at acfos.org containing more than 400 freely accessible PDF documents on deafness topics, used for training and information by professionals, parents, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ free PDF documents accessible online on deafness topics
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SurdiFrance: French national association dedicated to information and support for people affected by deafness. Highly comparable to ACFOS in mission (knowledge dissemination, family/professional support) and geography, though broader in scope beyond childhood deafness.
• Hands & Voices: US non-profit dedicated to supporting families of deaf and hard-of-hearing children with unbiased information. Comparable in its non-dogmatic, family-and-professional-centered approach to deafness education, though US-based.
• AG Bell Association: US-based organization supporting listening, spoken language, and professional development around hearing loss in children. Comparable as a content- and training-driven association serving deaf/hard-of-hearing children and the professionals who work with them.
• Fédération Nationale des Sourds de France (FNSF): French national federation representing deaf communities in France. Comparable as a peer French non-profit working in the deafness space, with stronger advocacy and community representation remit versus ACFOS's professional-training orientation.
• National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS): UK charity focused on supporting deaf children and their families, including professional resources and information services. Direct functional analog to ACFOS in a different geography, with a similar combination of family support, professional resources, and content publishing.

Broad incumbents

• World Federation of the Deaf (WFD): International umbrella federation of national deaf associations. Comparable as the highest-level convening body in the global deafness space, of which ACFOS operates at a national sub-niche within France.
• National Association of the Deaf (NAD): US civil-rights organization for the deaf and hard of hearing. Comparable as a major national deafness organization with advocacy and educational functions, though oriented toward civil rights and broader community representation rather than clinical professional training.
• Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA): Large US organization representing the broader hearing-loss community across all ages. Comparable as a knowledge-dissemination and advocacy organization in the deafness/hearing-loss space, but operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope than ACFOS.

Regional players

• British Deaf Association: UK-based national deaf association with advocacy and community focus. Comparable as a peer national deafness organization operating in a different geography from ACFOS, with similar non-profit structure but a UK remit.
• Centre National de Ressources pour les Handicaps Rares - Robert Laplane (CNRHR): French national resource center for rare disabilities including deafness. Comparable as a French institutional knowledge hub serving deafness professionals and families, with overlapping audience of practitioners (several CNRHR staff contribute as ACFOS trainers).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acfos

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Action Knowledge Training for Deafness