Legal recognition of sign languages

Australia

Auslan was recognised by the Australian Government as a "community language other than English" and the preferred language of the Deaf community in policy statements in 1987 and 1991. This recognition does not ensure any provision of services in Auslan, but use of Auslan in Deaf education and provision of Auslan/English interpreters is becoming more common.

Austria

Austrian Sign Language (Österreichische Gebärdensprache, ÖGS) was recognised by the Austrian Parliament in 2005. On 1 September 2005 the Austrian Constitution was amended to include a new article: „§8 (3) Die Österreichische Gebärdensprache ist als eigenständige Sprache anerkannt. Das Nähere bestimmen die Gesetze.“ ("Austrian Sign Language is recognised as independent language. The laws will determine the details.") For further information please contact the Austrian Deaf Association: http://www.oeglb.at

Further reading

Krausneker, Verena (2005) Österreichs erste Minderheitensprache, in: STIMME von und für Minderheiten # 56 [1]

Krausneker, Verena (2006) taubstumm bis gebärdensprachig. Die österreichische Gebärdensprachgemeinschaft aus soziolinguistischer Perspektive. Verlag Drava

French Community

The Parliament of French-speaking Belgium recognised LSFB (French-Belgian Sign Language) in a decree of October 2003. This recognition entails:

1. a cultural (symbolical) recognition and
2. the foundation of a commission that will advise the Government of the French Community in all matters related to LSFB.

In Décret relatif à la reconnaissance de la langue des signes (Decree on the recognition of the sign language), from three possible legal interpretations of the term 'recognition',^[2] the following one was retained: "It concerns a symbolic recognition that goes hand in hand with a general measure, permitting every minister to take action in fields relative to his authority."

Flemish Community

Flemish Sign Language was recognised on 2006-04-26 by the Flemish Parliament. This recognition entails:

1. a cultural (symbolical) recognition (see excerpt below),
2. the foundation of a commission that will advise the Flemish government in all matters related to VGT and
3. the structural funding of research and development of VGT.

This recognition was accelerated by the most successful petition ever with the Flemish Parliament and the presence of a Deaf member of parliament, Helga Stevens, and her interpreters in the Flemish Parliament.

Brazil

The Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS) was legally recognized in 2002 but can't replace written Portuguese; the law was regulated in 2005. The language must be taught as a part of the education and speech and language pathology curricula, and law also mandates that LIBRAS be an elective subject as part of every other undergraduate course. LIBRAS teachers, instructors and translators are recognized professionals. Schools and health services must provide access ("include") to deaf people.

Canada

Section Fourteen of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms specifies that an accused person who does not understand the language in which his or her trial is carried out, or is deaf, is entitled to an interpreter.

In several of Canada's provinces (Manitoba in 1988, Alberta in 1990, Ontario in 1993), ASL is an officially recognised minority language with legally embedded rights.

Ontario recognised ASL and LSQ as a language in which the Deaf can be taught when it altered its Education Act in 1993. Ontario formally recognised ASL in 2007 attributing to it the rights of fellow minority languages.

Question Period in the House of Commons of Canada is interpreted in both Quebec Sign Language and American Sign Language.

Chile

Chilean Sign Language (LSCh), Chile enacted in Law No. 20,422, in 2010 in order to ensure the right to equality of opportunity for disabled people, negating any form of discrimination against them. And which recognizes sign language as the natural means of communication of the deaf community Ley 20422 BCN LEGISLACIÓN CHILENA, 2010

Czech Republic

Czech Sign Language gained legal recognition as a human language with the passage of the Sign Language Law 155/1998 Sb ("Zákon o znakové řeči 155/1998 Sb") - see the legislation here (in Czech language).

Denmark

As of May 13, 2014, Danish Sign Language gained legal recognition. The Danish Parliament established The Danish Sign Language Council "to devise principles and guidelines for the monitoring of the Danish sign language and offer advice and information on the Danish sign language."

European Union

The European Parliament unanimously approved a resolution about Deaf Sign Languages on June 17, 1988 (available online here). The resolution asks all member countries for recognition of their national sign languages as official languages of the Deaf.

The EP issued another resolution in 1998 with more or less the same content as in 1988, (see RESOLUTION on sign languages for the deaf, Official Journal C 187, 18/07/1988 P. 0236 [3]

Finland

Finnish Sign Language was recognised in the constitution in August 1995.

Iceland

Icelandic Sign Language was recognised by law in education in 2004.

On May 27, 2011, the Icelandic Parliament unanimously approved a bill which recognises Icelandic Sign Language as an official minority language with constitutional rights and as the first language of the deaf people of Iceland.

India

There is no official recognition of Indian Sign Language.

Ireland

There is no official recognition of Irish Sign Language yet. However, there have been calls to make Irish Sign Language the third official language in Ireland, after Irish and English, which would require an amendment to the constitution - which can only happen via a referendum. [4][5]

Italy

There is no official recognition of Italian Sign Language (Lingua dei Segni Italiana, LIS) yet. Those who oppose LIS recognition say this language is "grammarless," although, by definition, a language cannot be, in fact, grammarless. Several research on the matter have already shown that Italian Sign Language is a proper language.

Kenya

The Constitution of Kenya recognises Kenya Sign Language and states that the state shall promote the development and use of Kenyan sign language. Sign language is recognised further in Article 120 (1) which states that the official languages of parliament are Kiswahili, English and Kenyan sign language and the business of parliament may be conducted in English, Kiswahili and Kenyan sign language.

Macedonia

The Macedonian sign language (Македонски знаковен јазик, Makedonski znakoven jazik) is officially recognized as "natural way of communication between the people". The language is regulated by a law, which allows students and every individual in Macedonia to study the language. Also, the law secures the right of interpreter for the students with special needs, and every other deaf person can request an interpreter, as well. Currently, there are more than 6.000 Macedonian citizens with deafness.

Malta

The Maltese Sign Language (LSM) was official recognized by parliament in March 2016.

Mexico

The Mexican Sign Language (LSM) was officially declared a "national language" in 2003, and it started being used in public deaf education thereafter. Before 2003, deaf education in the country was focused on oralism (speech and lipreading) with few schools conducting classes in LSM.

Nepal

Although Nepali Sign Language has not yet been officially recognized as the mother tongue of Nepal's deaf population, legislation is underway which will bring Nepali law in line with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These laws will recognize the rights of the deaf to use Nepali Sign Language have it used in education, in social life, in the legal sphere, etc., and this should thus lead to official governmental recognition of Nepali Sign Language on a par with the various spoken languages of Nepal.

Netherlands

The Sign Language of the Netherlands has not been recognised officially by law. There is some public funding for sign language projects.

New Zealand

New Zealand Sign Language became the third official language of New Zealand in April 2006, joining Māori and English when the bill was passed in the New Zealand Parliament on April 6, 2006.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, both British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language (but not Northern Ireland Sign Language) were recognised as official languages by the Northern Ireland Office, but they don't yet have the same status as the province's two official minority languages, Irish and Ulster-Scots.

Norway

Norwegian Sign Language is recognised by law in education.

Portugal

As an example, many shows (such as the news) in public channels (RTP) have one corner of the screen with a person translating what's being said into sign language.

Russia

The Russian Sign Language (Русский жестовый язык) has very limited legal recognition. In accordance with the Federal "Law on Protection of People with Disabilities" the sign language is considered a language used for inter-personal communication only, which means that no state support for the language is provided.

Slovak Republic

Slovak Sign Language was recognised in 1995 by law: "Zákon o posunkovej reči nepočujúcich osôb 149/1995 Sb" - the Law of the Sign Language of the Deaf 149/1995.

South Africa

South African Sign Language is not specifically recognised as a Language of South Africa by the country's constitution, instead it contains the phrase "sign language" in the generic sense. There is a process underway in parliament to investigate the possibility of upgrading the status of SASL to become the country's 12th official language.

Spain

On June 28, 2007, Spanish and Catalan Sign Languages were recognised by the Spanish Parliament to be official languages in Spain. This recent legal development has opened a door to reinforced communication in the areas of healthcare, justice, education and MCM. So far, the Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Andalusia, and Valencia had granted the use of sign languages to the Deaf. In the other Spanish regions no sign languages were so far recognised, and support in terms of sign language interpretation for Deaf persons has been minimal or confined by different budgets. As pointed out, there are three sign languages claimed by Deaf organisations: Spanish Sign Language, Catalan Sign Language (LSC) and Valencian Sign Language (LSPV), although some linguists consider these to be the same.

Catalonia

Although a regional law guarantees the presence of Catalan Sign Language since 1994 in all areas under the Catalan Government, such as education and media, until recently it was officially recognised the LSC in the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006.

Andalusia

The legal situation in Andalusia is similar to the one in Catalonia, where a regional Law guarantees the presence of the Spanish Sign Language (LSE) in all social scopes since 1998. Recently, a recognition of it is included in the reforming of their Statute of Autonomy. At the moment, Andalusia is the unique Community where LSE is recognised with regards to the rest of Spain. In any case, in linguistic terms, the LSE used there has a strong dialectal variation.

Valencia

Until recently, Valencia had poor legal support for the Deaf. The approved 2006 Statute of Autonomy grants to Valencian Deaf their right to use Valencian Sign Language (LSPV or LSCV). In the Statute there is no mention about which sign language is telling, but Valencian Deaf entities usually refer it as Llengua de Signes en la Comunitat Valenciana.

Galicia

Galicia is said to be working on a bill concerning the recognition of a sign language.

Sri Lanka

The recognition of Sri Lankan Sign Language was accepted by Sri Lanka on 26 September 2010. According to the report by Sri Lankan Newspaper at Internet on 23 September 2010[]

Thailand

Thai Sign Language was acknowledged as "the national language of deaf people in Thailand" on 17 August 1999, in a resolution signed by the Permanent Secretary for Education on behalf of the Royal Thai Government that affirmed the rights of deaf people to learn this distinct sign language as their first language at home and in schools. According to a report by Charles Reilly (1999), "specific actions will be taken by the government, including hiring deaf people as teachers and instructors of sign language in deaf schools, and providing interpreters for deaf people in higher education."

Turkey

There is currently no official recognition of the Turkish Sign Language, the de facto sign language in use by the Turkish deaf community.

On July 1, 2005, the Turkish Grand National Assembly enacted an updated Disability Law (No. 5378), which for the first time in Turkish law made references to sign language. Law no. 15 says that a sign language is to be used in the deaf education system, and law no. 30 says that sign language interpreting is to be provided to deaf people. [6] However, these laws are yet to be implemented (as of 2007), and it remains to be seen what form of sign language, if any, will be supported. There has been some discussion in parliament about "developing" a standardised sign language.[7]

Turkey also has action plans for disability issues, such as the Employment of Disabled Persons Plan (2005–2010) and the Prevention of Discrimination Against Disabled Persons Plan (2006–2010).

Uganda

On October 8, 1995, Uganda's national sign language was recognised in the country's new constitution, making Uganda Sign Language one of the few constitutionally recognised sign languages in the world (WFD News, April 1996). A Deaf signer (27-year-old Alex Ndeezi) was elected to parliament in 1996.

United States of America

Many individual states have laws recognizing American Sign Language as a "foreign language"; some recognize ASL as a language of instruction in schools. A number of U.S. universities accept ASL credit to fulfill foreign language requirements.

Uruguay

Although there are no "official" languages in Uruguay, nevertheless, Lengua de Señas Uruguaya, or "LSU" (In English: "Uruguayan Sign Language"), was "recognized" as the language of deaf persons in 2001 by the law:

LEY No. 17.378. Reconócese a todos los effectos a la Lengua de Señas Uruguaya como la lengua natural de las personas sordas y de sus comunidades en todo el territorio de la Republica. 10 de Julio de 2001. Parlamento del Uruguay.

In the 2008 law 18.437 ("Ley General de Educación. 12 de Diciembre de 2008"), LSU is "considered" to be one of the mother tongues of Uruguayan citizens (along with Uruguayan Spanish and Uruguayan Portuguese. In the policy documents of the Comisión de Políticas Lingüísticas en la Educación Pública (the Public Education Language Policy Commission, which is part of the Administración Nacional de Educación Pública, ANEP) it is proposed that LSU would be the principal language of deaf education.

Venezuela

Venezuelan Sign Language was recognised in the country's constitution on November 12, 1999.

Zimbabwe

The various Zimbabwean sign languages, grouped together as "sign language", are recognised in the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe as one of the sixteen "officially recognised languages of Zimbabwe".