general_information:sign_language

International treaties - Sign Languages

European level

European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992) defines ““regional or minority languages” as:

traditionally used within a given territory of a State by nationals of that State who form a group numerically smaller than the rest of the State's population; and
different from the official language(s) of that State;
it does not include either dialects of the official language(s) of the State or the languages of migrants;

There is no specific mentioning of Sign Languages in the Charter, nor are there any Sign Languages covered by State Parties. See the full list of covered languages here

Recognition by the Council of Europe

In 2003, the PACE recognised Sign Languages in their Recommendation 1598 (2003): Protection of sign languages in the member states of the Council of Europe. There, the PACE recognises Sign Languages “as the expression of Europe’s cultural wealth. They are a feature of Europe’s linguistic and cultural heritage” and the PACE recognises them as “a complete and natural means of communication for deaf people.”

For education, they recommend and encourage member states:

to give education in Sign Languages to deaf people;
to train teachers, in preparation for working with deaf and hearing-impaired children, in Sign Languages;
to include Sign Languages as a valid academic qualification in mainstream secondary schools with equal status to other taught languages;
to grant deaf people the right to choose freely between oral and bilingual school systems;
to subsidise the publication of instructive literature in Sign Languages.

EU resolutions

On June 17, 1988, the European Parliament signed the Resolution on Sign Languages 1988 and the Resolution on Sign Languages 1998 ten years later which both called for the recognition, improvement and support of Sign Languages.

The Resolution on Sign Languages 1988 states that a “sign language, which can be properly be regarded as a language in its own right, is the preferred or only language of most deaf people” and calls “upon the Member States to abolish any remaining obstacles to the use of sign language.”

The Resolution on Sign Languages of 1998 reinforces the resolution of 1988, and for education calls “to ensure EU funding programmes in the field of education and employment training include training of sign language tutors and interpreters”

International legislation

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) is the first international human rights convention that explicitly considers Sign Languages to be languages¹⁾. This is done in Article 21 - Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information:

Accepting and facilitating the use of sign languages, Braille, augmentative and alternative communication, and all other accessible means, modes and formats of communication of their choice by persons with disabilities in official interactions;
recognizing and promoting the use of sign languages.

Article 24 covers measures regarding education, in which State Parties, amongst others:

ensure that:
- persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on the basis of disability;
- persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live;
- reasonable accommodation of the individual’s requirements is provided
- persons with disabilities receive the support required
and take appropriate measures to:
- facilitate the learning of Sign Language and the promotion of the linguistic identity of the deaf community;
- ensure that the education of persons, and in particular children, who are blind, deaf or deafblind, is delivered in the most appropriate languages and modes and means of communication for the individual, and in environments which maximize academic and social development.
- employ teachers, including teachers with disabilities, who are qualified in sign language and/or Braille, and to train professionals and staff who work at all levels of education

The list of State Parties that have signed and/or ratified the Convention can be found here

Sign Languages currently covered on the Wiki

¹⁾

De Meulder, M. (2016). Artikel 24 van het VN Verdrag inzake de Rechten van Personen met een Handicap en dove gebarentaligen: naar een nieuwe interpretatie van het begrip 'inclusief onderwijs'. In G. Van Hoven, A. Schippers, M. Cardol & E. De Schauwer (Eds.), Disability Studies in de Lage Landen. Antwerpen: Garant Uitgeverij.