The Albino Foundation Public Notice
As of 2021, the International Week of the Deaf will now be known as the International Week of Deaf People (IWDP). This name change in name comes from the decision of the XVI WFD General Assembly, in which our Ordinary Members requested that
- The WFD work to establish an International Day of Sign Languages,
- Change the name of our annual celebration to the International Week of Deaf People.
We accomplished the first goal in 2017, with the UN Resolution recognizing 23 September as the International Day of Sign Languages. From 2021, we celebrate the International Week of Deaf People!
What is International Week of the Deaf?
International Week of the Deaf is an initiative of the WFD and was first launched in 1958 in Rome, Italy. It is celebrated annually by the global Deaf Community on the last week of September each year to commemorate the same month the first World Congress of the WFD was held. International Week of the Deaf is celebrated through various activities by the respective Deaf Communities worldwide.
The activities call for participation and involvements of various stakeholders including families, peers, Governmental bodies, professional sign language interpreters and Organisations of persons with disabilities.
Why is International Week of the Deaf important?
- International Week of the Deaf is the only week in a year that sees highly concerted global advocacy to raise awareness about the Deaf Community on different levels. It is about gathering together, becoming united, and showing that unity to the rest of the world.
- International Week of the Deaf strives to promote the human rights of deaf people and highlight topics that merit attention.
- International Week of the Deaf aims to call for unity from the rest of the world through consistent, coordinated and widespread mobilisation to ensure that the campaigns are visible through sufficient media coverage.
International Day of Sign Languages
23 September
Sign Languages Are for Everyone!
The International Day of Sign Languages is an unique opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users.
According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are approximately 72 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 UN General Assembly has 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 resolution establishing the day 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. https://www.youtube.com/embed/_qO-ybCQQFI?enablejsapi=1&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org
