Language Policy and Planning for Sign Languages

Appendix II. Statement on the Recognition of the National Sign Languages of the Deaf

189 Appendix II Statement on the Recognition of the National Sign Languages of the Deaf The Third European Congress on Sign Language Research took place in Hamburg, Germany, from July 26–29, 1989. This international linguistic congress was arranged by the International Sign Language Association (ISLA); about 200 professionals from twenty-one countries were in attendance. In the closing session the participants unanimously declared sign languages to be full and equal languages. They strongly demanded that the national sign languages of the deaf be recognized by society. In this context, the following statement was, again unanimously, agreed on. It could serve as the basis for another international resolution to be worked out by ISLA and the World Federation of the Deaf. Prejudices and attitudes towards sign language rooted in educational philosophy have deeply influenced the living conditions of deaf people and their chances of personal development. Due to the grave consequences that negative perception of sign language have in deaf people’s lives, we consider it our duty to go beyond the realm of scientific discourse and with this resolution bring to the public’s attention the social and political implications of our research. EARLIER OPINIONS OF SIGN LANGUAGE In Milan, 1880, the hearing participants of the International Congress of Educators of the Deaf approved a resolution in which sign language was officially banned and virtually eliminated from deaf education. Sign language was no longer recognized as the language of deaf people but was seen, at best, as suitable only for the most elementary communication needs, as a mixture of simple pantomime and primitive gesturing incapable of conveying abstract concepts and complex ideas, as a form more closely related to subhuman forms of communication. 190 : Appendices RECENT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON SIGN LANGUAGE In recent years, there has been a dramatic change in how sign language has been perceived. Scientific investigations of a number of national sign languages over the past 30 years have produced ample evidence that sign languages are full and complex language systems equivalent to spoken languages in functional and structural respects. These studies have demonstrated that sign languages possess sophisticated grammars and large vocabularies; linguists have described the basic linguistic structures, rules, and functions of these languages. Sign languages, however, are more than just abstract linguistic systems . Psychological, psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic studies have also shown that the use of sign language promotes emotional, social, and mental development in deaf children. Early use of sign language facilities concept formation, developmentally appropriate acquisition of knowledge, of social values and norms of behavior, and a high degree of overall communicative competence. There is evidence that even acquisition of the spoken and written language may be strengthened by the early acquisition of sign language. In general, early and consistent use of sign language by deaf children results in more effective learning both in and out of school. THE DEAF AS A LINGUISTIC COMMUNITY For the deaf adult, sign language is a prerequisite to social integration. It is not physical disability but sign language which unites deaf people in a social community that exhibits all the traits of a language community. The sign language community is the deaf person’s safeguard against the fate of living isolated in a hearing world; the deaf community is a guarantee for the individual’s social and psychological well-being. PUBLIC RECOGNITION OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY AND THEIR LANGUAGE The society should recognize the sign language of the deaf and the community of the deaf. Deaf people must be able to decide themselves all questions directly concerning themselves and their community. Appendices : 191 In particular, the policy-making agencies must no longer ignore deaf people’s demand for bilingual education, which explicitly recognizes the importance of sign language and the deaf community for the deaf person. Sign language is also a means of meaningful integration of the deaf into hearing society. Through provision of adequate, qualified interpreting services, deaf people can benefit from all existing sources of information as well as make themselves heard within the larger society. WE DEMAND THE FOLLOWING POLITICAL ACTION NECESSARY TO ALTER CURRENT SITUATION: • Recognition of sign languages and recognition of the deaf as a language minority by national parliaments in accordance with the resolution unanimously passed by the European Parliament on 12 June 1988. • Translation into action of this decision through appropriate legislative and administrative measures. • Public financing of interpreting services and...