Ableism: When People Who Are Deaf Face Unfair Treatment

What is Labour Market Discrimination?

Ableism happens when people with disabilities are treated unfairly. This includes deaf people. In the European Union, about 87 million people have some kind of disability[1]. Many deaf people face ableism every day, but they might not know this word.

What is ableism?

Ableism means treating someone badly because they have a disability. It comes from the English word “able” (to be able to do something)[2]. When people think deaf people cannot do things as well as hearing people, this is ableism.

Ableism can happen in different ways:

People helping deaf people without asking first
Buildings or events not having sign language interpreters
People talking to a deaf person’s friend instead of directly to them
Schools or jobs not giving deaf people the same chances

Ableism in daily life

Many deaf people in Europe cannot get information in their national sign languages. This makes it hard for them to move freely in the European Union[4].

For example, deaf people often cannot:

Watch news without subtitles
Talk to doctors without interpreters
Get the same education as hearing people
Find jobs easily[4]

Deafblind people face even more problems. They need tactile-sign interpreters (interpreters who sign into their hands). The EU does not fully recognize this right[4].

What the European Union is doing

The European Union has laws to protect people with disabilities:

The Equality Framework Directive (2000) says workplaces cannot treat people unfairly because of disability[5].
The European Disability Strategy (2021-2030) has three main goals:
- Give disabled people the same rights as others
- Help people live independently
- Stop discrimination[6]
In 2016, the European Parliament made rules about sign language. It said:
- Sign language interpreters should be professional
- People should learn sign language like other languages
- Schools should teach sign language[7]

Some countries have their own laws too. Slovakia recognized Slovak Sign Language as the language of deaf people in 1995[8]. The Netherlands officially recognized Dutch Sign Language as an official language on 2020.

What you can do

If you face ableism:

Know your rights
Join deaf organizations
Ask for sign language interpreters when you need them
Report unfair treatment

Remember: Being deaf is not a problem. The problem is when society does not understand or support deaf people’s needs, the society makes us handicapped.