Video: https://youtu.be/IZxPpwhtKkw
Here’s another Deaf Awareness Month post!
This week is International Week of the Deaf. Obviously, this is to celebrate deaf people and bring awareness to their access needs, to the fact that we exist, we have languages, we have culture, we are amazing people. As many of you know, I lived abroad for one year, so of course, International Week of the Deaf is important to me because it has connections to the international community which I value.
This week’s main focus is on raising awareness about the deaf community, the fact that we’re disabled AND a linguistic minority. And encouraging people to recognize sign languages as actual languages. Emphasizing “Nothing about us, without us.” Reminding governments of their responsibility for providing accessibility to those who need it. Stressing the importance of sign language as a prerequisite from a young age, accessibility in daily life, accessibility in schools, in work, in everything.
International Week of the Deaf was started by WFD in 1958, in Rome, Italy. Annually celebrated by the world during the last (full) week of September. Why the last week of September? To commemorate the same month that the first WFD Congress was held.
Recently, the UN adopted the International Day of Sign Languages. It will be celebrated annually on September 23rd, starting in 2018. The aim of this day is to raise awareness on sign languages and strengthen the status of sign languages. This day is also included in the International Week of the Deaf. This year’s International Week of the Deaf theme is: With sign language, everyone is included!
Of course, there’s a lot more information about this week/day. Here’s a link to WFD’s website for International Week of the Deaf. You can read it, find more information if you want. I also want to say really quick, I think it’s *fantastic* that the International Day of Sign Languages is on the same day as Bi Visibility Day. YES! That’s it for me today. Make sure you check out the link. Hope you learned something from this!
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