This flag is the International Flag of the Deaf, and, sadly, we found this story too late on Mission Network News online (mnnonline.org) to tell you that September 23 was the International Day of Sign Languages. The purpose of this day is to highlight the importance of language access for deaf communities.
“There’s all kinds of situations where having access to your language, especially if it’s the only language that you know, is a really critical thing,” DOOR International’s Rob Myers says.
“Language makes communication and understanding possible. Imagine “being in the emergency room and not being able to communicate,” Myers says. Or, picture an everyday chore like “being at the grocery store” with limited ability to read signs or labels.
“Many people don’t realize that there are over 300 sign languages globally,” Myers says, and “there can be multiple sign languages in one country.”
BUT! A POSITIVE TREND IS SEEN…
Overall, the recognition of sign languages is growing, as noted here.
‘Even governments recognize that Deaf people need access to information, and that comes through their language,” Myers says.
Today, of the world’s 195 countries, “84 of them now recognize sign language as one of the official languages of the country,” Myers notes.
“That’s about 43% of those countries. Five or six years ago, that number was around 25%,” he continues. By comparison, only 37 countries, roughly 18%, recognized their national sign language as a legitimate language in 2018.
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