International Week of Deaf People 2024

International Week of Deaf People (IWDeaf) is a worldwide celebration to raise awareness of the rights, culture and achievements of the Deaf community. In 1968, the World Federation of the Deaf, opens a new window (WFD) launched the International Day of the Deaf, which was later expanded to a week-long celebration.

It is recognized each year during the last full week of September to commemorate the same month the first World Congress of the WFD was held. This year, IWDeaf is celebrated from September 23-29, 2024, with the theme "Sign up for Sign Language Rights."

While you might think that having access to language would be a basic human right, there are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals around the world that have issues accessing language. For instance, they may not have access to an interpreter or there is a problem getting the interpreter to be there with the person. Think about this: During the pandemic, the public was receiving information on how to keep themselves and their families safe. Imagine not being able to receive that same information in a timely manner. Would you feel scared? Vulnerable? This is how many members of the Deaf community feel in these scenarios.

There are countries that strive to get current and reliable information out, but as we know, things change daily. Many states in the US have had their governors provide certified sign language interpreters during news conferences, but not all have done this. Certain laws and regulations have been passed around the world, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The WFD has made its mission to break down barriers and get equal rights for ALL Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals.

While progress has been made, there is still a ways to go to provide equality, not only for human rights but education as well, to those who are Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, or Deafblind. If you would like to help or to learn more, check out the following websites: National Assocation of the Deaf, World Federation of the Deaf, or the World Federation of the DeafBlind.

Additional Information and Resources

ASL Club at the Library:

• The next ASL Club is on Wednesday, October 16 at 6 p.m. at Springfield. Visit the Library's events calendar to register.

Laws that have helped Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing individuals:

• Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1975 (IDEA)
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
• 21^st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA): enacted in 2010 by President Obama to update federal communications laws and to provide accessible access to the Internet.
• Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA): provides accommodations to those with disabilities who are flying, once the passenger contacts them to let them know what is needed. This includes captioning, allowing service animals, and for those who need it, deaf-blind travelers, to have a safety assistant accompany them.
• In England, the Equality Act of 2010 was created to ban discrimination in the workplace.

Learn more of these beautiful languages by seeing the differences around the world:

• ASL vs. Brazilian Sign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsLKkumsONg
• ASL vs. Chinese Sign Language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSxYv-3EMCc
• ASL vs. Turkish Sign Language: ABC’s--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzMloMKXp5Y
• ASL vs. South African Sign Language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fGXrorf4f8