The Legal Recognition Of National Sign Languages

I have done this as an article because as a general post there is character limitation and there is no way to be able to attached a Screen Reader version for our low vision and Blind members of my Network.

Earlier today I shared an article about Sign Language Advocacy. This is a very good example of doing simply that. Enabling very important information about the nations that have given recognition and those that haven't as yet done so. Making the information available to all via accessible technology. - On this point I acknowledge by sign is greatly influenced by English grammar and I will not at this point NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language) the justice it deserves by doing a recorded message without a qualified interpreter assist. I also acknowledge how limiting this platform is for our Blind and low Vision communities. - the formatting is yet to be desired. <wink>

The following attachment is a screen reader version of information contained within the above image.

What the image is: Map showing the Countries who have and haven't recognised their county's Sign Language and status given.

Title: The Legal Recognition of National Sign Languages National- Level Legal recognition of sign languages. Updated December 2022

Image Description:

To the right of title is the WDF Logo which is a laurel reef in the shape of cupping hands around a circle.  Inside the laurel is three nested circles inside each other and right in the middle is three interlocking circles.  On the second circle from the outside is five stars starting from top to right is red, yellow, green, blue and lastly black.

The colour of the logo and that of the map is a turquoise Blue which is a symbolic representation of the deaf community and Sign Language, pride and unity.

 To the top lefthand side of the graphic image is the information about when Canada, Guatemala, Paraguay and Chile gained recognition as follows:

Canada

American Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language and Indigenous Sign Languages were recognised on 11 July 2019. Explicit Status recognition, Disability Legislation and Sign Language Law of Act including other means of communication

 Guatemala

Guatemalan Sign Language was recognised on 18 February 2020. Explicit Status recognition.

 Paraguay

Paraguay Sign Language was recognised in May 2020. Explicit Status and Sign Language Law.

 Chile

Chilean Sign Language was recognised on 22 January 2021. Explicit Status recognition and sign language law

 In the middle of the graphic image is the information about when United Kingdom, Italy, Bulgaria and Uganda gained recognition as follows:

 United Kingdom

British Sign Language was recognised on 28 June 2022. Explicit Status and Sign Language Law

 Italy

Italian Sign Language was recognised on 19 May 2021. Explicit status recognition and Sign Language Law

 Bulgaria

Bulgarian Sign Language was recognised on 21 January 2021. Explicit status recognition and sign language law

 Uganda

First Country in Africa to achieve Sign Language recognition in Constitional level on 8 October 1995

 To the right of the graphic image the information about when Uzbekistan, Philippines, and Fiji gained recognition as follows:

 Uzbekistan

Uzbek Sign Language was recognised in 2020. Explicit status recognition and Disability.

 Philippines

Filipino Sign Language was recognised on 30 October 2018. Explicit status recognition and Sign Language Law

 Fiji

Fiji Sign Language was recognised in 2013 and 2018. Explicit status Constitutional recognition and Disability.

 In the bottom left corner of the graphic image is a circular colour key which is used to say when other counties in the map gained different statuses for their National Sign Languages.  It also has the key that says how many countries within the map highlighted turquoise blue have recognised their sign language which is 74. In light grey the countries haven’t recognised their national sign language.  There is 119.

 Going from the bottom centre of the graphic image towards the bottom right corner is a four-column list of countries.  To incorporate the colour key information, I have listed the country and what the key says.  To the left of each country name is the year they gained recognition.

 Column one

2014  Albania        Sign language recognition Disability Legislation

2005  Austria         Sign language recognition General Disability legislation

2016 Angola           Sign language recognition and Disability Legislation

2013   Bangladesh   Sign language recognition and Disability Legislation

2003/2006/2019 Belgium   Sign language recognition and sign language Law or Act

2009 Bolivia              Sign language recognition and sign language Law or Act

2009 Bosnia and Herzegovina   Sign language recognition and sign language Law or Act

2002/2005 Brazil   Sign language recognition and sign language Law or Act

2001 Bulgaria       Sign language recognition and sign language Law or Act

2019 Canada        Sign language recognition, sign language Law or Act, Disability Legislation

2010/2021 Chile   Sign language recognition and sign language Law or Act

1996 Colombia   Sign language recognition, Sign language Law or Act and other means of communication

2020 Costa Rica   Sign language recognition, Sign Language Act or Law

2015 Croatia         Sign language recognition, Sign language law or Act and other means of communication

2006 Cyprus          Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

1998/2008 Czech Republic Sign language recognition, Sign Language law or Act and other means of communication

2014 Denmark      Sign language recognition, National Language Council Recognition

 Column two

2008 Ecuador       Sign language recognition, general language legislation

2014 El Salvador   Sign language recognition, Sign Language law or Act

2007 Estonia         Sign language recognition, general language legislation

1995 Finland         Sign language recognition, Constitutional recognition

2013/2018 Fiji       Sign language recognition, Constitutional recognition, Disability Legislation

2002 Germany     Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2017 Greece         Sign language recognition, Sign Language Act or law

2020 Guatemala    Sign language recognition, Sign Language Act or law

2013 Honduras   Sign language recognition, Sign Language Act or law

2009 Hungary      Sign language recognition, constitutional Recognition

2011 Iceland         Sign language recognition, general Language legislation 

2016 India               Sign language recognition, Disability Legislation

2016 Indonesia   Sign language recognition, Disability Legislation

2017 Ireland          Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2021  Italy              Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2011  Japan           Sign language recognition, Disability Legislation

2010 Kenya           Sign language recognition, Constitutional recognition

2010/2014 Kosovo  Sign language recognition, Sign Language Act or law

 Column Three

1999 Latvia    Sign language recognition, General language legislation

1995 Lithuania    Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2018 Luxembourg    Sign language recognition, Sign Language Act or Law

2009 North Macedonia    Sign language recognition, Sign Language Act or Law

2016 Malta   Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2008 Malaysia     Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2015 Marshall Islands Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2005 Mexico          Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2016 Mongolia     Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2004 Namibia      Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2015/2017 Nepal   Sign language recognition, Disability legislation, Constitutional Recognition

2020 The Netherlands    Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2006  New Zealand        Sign language recognition, Constitutional recognition

2009 Nicaragua  Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2021 Norway        Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

1992 Panama       Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2015 Papa New Guinea   Sign language recognition, Disability Legislation

2020 Paraguay     Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2010 Peru     Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

 Column Four

2018 Philippines     Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2011 Poland              Sign language recognition, Sign language law or Act and other mean of communication

1997 Portugal       Sign language recognition, Sign language Act, Constitutional Recognition

2015 South Korea   Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2002 Romania     Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2012 Russian Federation       Sign language recognition, Disability legislation

2015 Serbia  Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

1995 Slovenia      Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law, Constitutional recognition

1996 South Africa     Sign language recognition, Constitutional recognition

2007/2010 Spain              Constitutional recognition, Sign Language Law or Act and other means of Communication

1981/2006/2009    Sweden Sign language recognition, Constitutional recognition,

2005 Turkey            Sign language recognition, Disability Legislation

1995 Uganda        Sign language recognition, Constitutional recognition

2004/2017/2019    Ukraine   Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2001 Uruguay       Sign language recognition, Sign language Act or law

2022 United Kingdom Sign language recognition, Sign Language Act or Law

2020 Uzbekistan   Sign language recognition, Disability Legislation

1999 Venezuela  Sign language recognition, Constitutional Recognition, Disability Legislation

2010 Zimbabwe Sign language recognition, Constitutional Recognition