The Recognition of National Sign Languages

Sign language recognition means making sign language official in a country through laws. This helps deaf people use their language freely and get better services.

What is Sign Language Recognition?

When a country recognizes sign language, it makes special laws that say sign language is important and should be used. This means the government accepts sign language as a real language, just like spoken languages.

Why is Recognition Important?

Recognition helps deaf people in many ways:

It gives deaf people the right to use sign language in schools, hospitals, and government offices
It helps protect deaf culture and community
It makes sure deaf people can get sign language interpreters when they need them

Countries with Sign Language Recognition

Today, 78 countries in the world have made laws about sign language.

Early Recognition Timeline in Europe

Sweden (1981): The first European country to officially recognize its sign language. The Swedish Parliament declared that deaf people must be bilingual in Swedish Sign Language and Swedish.
Finland (1995): Finnish Sign Language was recognized in the constitution in August 1995.
Lithuania (1995): On May 4, 1995, Lithuanian Sign Language was officially recognized as the native language of the deaf.
Slovakia (1995): Slovak Sign Language was recognized by law.
Czech Republic (1998): The Czech parliament officially recognized Czech Sign Language as the first language of Deaf people.
And more.

Recent Recognitions in Europe

Some notable recent recognitions in Europe include:

The Netherlands (2020): Dutch Sign Language became official
Bulgaria (2021): Bulgarian Sign Language was recognized
Italy (2021): Italian Sign Language (LIS) was officially recognized

Different Types of Recognition

Countries can recognize sign language in different ways:

Constitutional Recognition: The highest level, when sign language is in the country’s constitution
Sign Language Law: Special laws just for sign language
Disability Law: Laws that include sign language as part of disability rights2

What Recognition Means for Deaf People

When a country recognizes sign language, deaf people get:

Better education in sign language
The right to use interpreters
More respect for deaf culture
Better access to public services

The Future

More countries are starting to recognize sign languages. The World Federation of the Deaf and the European Union of the Deaf are helping countries create new laws to protect sign languages. This helps improve the lives of deaf people around the world.