INTERNATIONAL
DAY OF SIGN LANGUAGES
-SEPTEMBER 23
The UN General Assembly
proclaimed 23 September as the International Day of Sign Languages in order to
raise awareness of the importance of sign language .The 2026 International Day
of Sign Languages calls for action to make deaf people’s human rights a reality
in all areas of life. Under the theme “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights”,
the Day highlights the importance of recognising, protecting and promoting
these rights, including full access through national sign languages.
This is also the theme
for the International Week of Deaf People, which is observed from 21 to 27
September 2026 with daily sub-themes'The 75th anniversary of the World
Federation of the Deaf (WFD)
20 years since the
adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(CRPD), which has been a key instrument for advocacy, driving change, shaping
policies, and strengthening the recognition of national sign languages.
The milestones not only
celebrate decades of progress, but also underscore how far the global deaf communities
have come in advancing their rights. As we mark these anniversaries, we are
called not only to celebrate, but to act. This is a moment to advocate actively
and accelerate the full realisation of deaf people’s human rights.
According to the World
Federation of the Deaf, there are more than 70 million deaf people worldwide.
More than 80% of them live in developing countries. Collectively, they use more
than 300 different sign languages.
Sign languages are
fully fledged natural languages, structurally distinct from the spoken
languages. There is also an international sign language, which is used by deaf
people in international meetings and informally when travelling and
socializing. It is considered a pidgin form of sign language that is not as complex
as natural sign languages and has a limited lexicon.
The Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes and promotes the use of sign
languages. It makes clear that sign languages are equal in status to spoken
languages and obligates states parties to facilitate the learning of sign
language and promote the linguistic identity of the Deaf community.
The International Day
of Sign Languages is a unique opportunity to support and protect the linguistic
identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language
users. All people have an inherent right to human rights from birth. For deaf
people, sign language rights are fundamental for the full enjoyment of their
human rights as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The UN General Assembly
proclaimed 23 September as the International Day of Sign Languages in order to
raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realization of
the human rights of people who are deaf.
The proposal for the
Day came from the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), a federation of 140
national member organizations representing more than 70 million deaf people’s
human rights worldwide. The resolution A/RES/72/161 was sponsored by the
Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, co-sponsored by
97 United Nations Member States and adopted by consensus on 19 December 2017.
The choice of 23
September commemorates the date that the WFD was established in 1951. This day
marks the birth of an advocacy organization, which has as one of its main
goals, the preservation of sign languages and Deaf culture as pre-requisites to
the realization of the human rights of deaf people. In 2026, the date also
marks the WFD’s 75th anniversary, celebrating three-quarters of a century of
work to advance the human rights of deaf people worldwide.
The resolution
establishing the day (A/RES/72/161) acknowledges that early access to sign
language and services in sign language, including quality education available
in sign language, is vital to the growth and development of the deaf individual
and critical to the achievement of the internationally agreed development
goals. It recognizes the importance of preserving sign languages as part of
linguistic and cultural diversity. It also emphasizes the principle of “nothing
about us without us” in terms of working with Deaf communities.The
International Day of Sign Languages was first celebrated in 2018 as part of the
International Week of the Deaf.The International Week of the Deaf was first
celebrated in September 1958 and has since evolved into a global movement of
Deaf unity and concerted advocacy to raise awareness of the issues deaf people
face in their everyday.
Prof. John Kurakar
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