A.L.F.A. is a no-profit, voluntary association. Founded in 1985, it unites families of the hearing impaired primarily from Milan and it's Province, as well a few from the rest of Italy, which have one or more deaf children.
One of the association's principle objectives is to ensure that the hearing impaired have equal opportunities in society. Their goal is therefore that of informing and updating the families of the hearing impaired with regards to solutions to the problems surrounding such a disability as well as encouraging them to participate in such activity; it promotes inquiries, research, reunions, conferences, and meetings with other similar associations, as well as with experts and researchers in the field, both in Italy and abroad, to help come up with solutions to problems encountered.
ALFA strength the right for hearing impaired children to study in public schools, ensuring that the children are being integrated correctly into the scholastic environment and that the required technical and instrumental support has been provided. Similarly it ensures that a hearing impaired person is given equal opportunities as a hearing person when seeking employment and that their employers are aware and deal with the special needs of such an employee. It also help when legislative problems arise concerning certain problems with regard to the integration of a hearing impaired person in a school, workplace or society in general and, when possible, participate in proposing amendments to projects of new laws.