Tuesday 23rd October 2025

Tuesday 23rd October 2025

No Human Rights without Sign Language Rights

All people have an inherent right to human rights from birth. For deaf people, sign language rights are not just a means of communication, but a source of empowerment, enabling them to enjoy their human rights fully. This empowerment is a testament to the resilience and strength of the deaf community. As we examine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we recognise the significant progress made and the challenges that remain in ensuring equality for all. We acknowledge that our achievements are leading us towards our goal: a world where deaf people everywhere can sign anywhere. It’s our collective responsibility to ensure this equality in sign language rights. Extract from the World Federation of the Deaf, with wordings amended by a deaf author/blogger.

It’s crucial to understand how vital it is for many D/deaf people, D/deaf with disabilities and Neurodiverse (non-verbal) people to communicate in sign language as their first language from birth/ medical illness or accidents. Respect for our communication choices is not just a matter of courtesy, but a demonstration of empathy and understanding. Do not expect us to speak like you in the communities as ablesim because it is your choice and takes our choice away. You can learn our sign language as a second language or more.

One day, I was teaching a small group of seniors from 82 years old to 104 years old in a rest home, Waikato, with no charge for the class, only to cover the small gift token of a gift card to cover the petrol mileage due to their limited Health funding by the Health Board in New Zealand. One of the seniors mentioned that he saw a few Deaf people signing in the cafe and thought it was terrific; however, he wished to understand their sign language for conversation. He had no idea what they were signing about. The seniors have their hearing loss – Hard of Hearing and find it frustrating to communicate with their loved ones, hate being isolated, and being left out of the activities groups. They want to be included in the same rooms as their community resthome. They do have other health illnesses like Parkinson’s Disease, stroke and mobility difficulties in walking.

It is critical to include sign language in Education, the Health Sector, Government Agencies, Police and Fire Services, Social Services, Civic defence, Social Media, Media, technologies like AI, mobile devices, and many other agencies and communities. The importance of sign language in these sectors cannot be overstated. Its integration is not a luxury, but a necessity for the full inclusion and safety of the deaf community. Do not expect to remove our sign language video/post if there is a financial problem with funding from the Government or businesses – there is no excuse for not putting sign language for us. You are placing our lives at risk from environmental dangers, making us isolated from the community, keep ringing our mobile until we may receive emails/letters from you and making us feel frustrated if we do not understand you because you refuse to write down on a piece of paper, or we may not fully understand the English language.

Perhaps watch the video by Marlee Matlin, featuring her tips for Police Officers and the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community in the USA. It is about teaching Police Officers ASL sign language for the American Deaf people through training courses. Note that Marlee is signing in ASL (American Sign Language), which differs from our NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language).

It’s important to note that sign languages, like spoken languages, are diverse and unique to each culture. There is no universal sign language, and around the world, many different sign languages are used, each with its own grammar and vocabulary.

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