The annual International Day of Sign Languages raises awareness of the linguistic and cultural variety among deaf populations worldwide. This is a chance to spread awareness about the value of sign languages in the lives of the deaf populations and the necessity to preserve them as a vital component of human variety. Worldwide, sign language is the principal form of communication for millions of individuals. They are intricate systems of visual-gestural communication with unique grammar and syntax. This day advocates for the language rights of the deaf and attempts to raise deaf people’s visibility, acceptance, and inclusion in society. To learn more about the day, keep reading.
In what year, 2023, is the International Day of Sign Languages?
On Saturday, September 23, sign languages will be recognized internationally.
History of International Day of Sign Languages
On behalf of the estimated 70 million deaf individuals worldwide, the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), a federation of 135 national federations of the deaf, submitted the concept for the day. Resolution A/RES/72/161 was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the UN and 97 other UN Member States, and it was unanimously approved on December 19, 2017. The 23rd of September was selected as the anniversary of the day the WFD was founded in 1951. On that day, a support organization was established, with one of its key goals being the preservation of sign languages and deaf culture as a need for the realization of deaf people’s human rights.
The inaugural International Day of Sign Languages was commemorated in 2018 as part of the International Week of the Deaf. First commemorated in September 1958, the International Week of the Deaf has grown into a global movement of deaf solidarity and organized advocacy to draw attention to the issues that deaf people face every day.
Importance of International Sign Language Day
The International Day of Sign Languages offers a special chance to promote and protect the linguistic variety and cultural diversity of all sign language users, including Deaf individuals. Together, deaf communities, governments, and civil society organizations continue to establish, support, and acknowledge national sign languages as a vital component of the varied and dynamic linguistic environments of their individual countries.
Over 70 million individuals worldwide are deaf, according to the World Federation of the Deaf. Over 80% of them reside in developing nations. More than 300 distinct sign languages are used by all of them. The United Nations General Assembly has declared September 23 to be the International Day of Sign Languages in an effort to increase public awareness of the importance of sign languages in ensuring that deaf people have full access to their human rights.
