International Day of Sign Languages 2021: Why more people need to learn sign language

On International Day of Sign Languages 2021, we reflect on how not everyone can access verbal or spoken language and why learning sign language is important. Not just the hearing and speech-impaired, others can also use it to communicate equally

The use of language is essential for any form of communication but that is often a challenge for those who have a hearing or speech impairment. While members of this community use sign language to communicate with one another, a problem can occur when they try to talk to people who do not understand sign language. As the world moves towards various kinds of inclusion, a reality where people are trained in signing is still a distant dream.

Even as sign language use is rising globally, it is nowhere near the level it should be both in India and the world. The International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated every year on September 23 to raise awareness around the use of sign language in the full realisation of the human rights of people who are deaf, according to the United Nations.

Adopted on 19 December in 2017, the day was first observed in 2018 on September 23 to celebrate the day the World Federation of the Deaf was founded in 1951. The theme for 2021 is ‘We Sign for Human Rights’ to highlight how every single person can work together to “promote the recognition of our right to use sign languages in all areas of life”.

The need for sign language learning
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 63 million people in India have partial or complete hearing disability. It also estimates that over 700 million people (1 in 10 people) around the world will have disabling hearing loss by 2050 and require hearing rehabilitation for it. The latest theme only reinforces the benefits of adoption of sign language by people beyond those who are already using it or within the hearing-impaired community. Recently, India announced some steps in that direction.

Indian Sign Language (ISL)
In the world of sign language, Indian Sign Language has its own place due to the country’s rich diversity. It also has its own grammar. Like all others, it uses hand and face gestures to communicate with those who are hearing or speech impaired in the country.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an Indian Sign Language dictionary which includes 10,000 words.

Sign language standardisation in India
In July 2020, the National Education Policy (NEP) said that the Indian sign language in the national and state curriculum materials would be standardised across the country, for the use of students with hearing impairments. It was also set to encourage the learning of local sign languages wherever possible while NIOS would teach the Indian sign language through specific modules and also use ISL to teach certain other subjects. The attempt received support from the community but there was also skepticism from some activists who observed that the Indian sign language's variations and diversity needed to be researched before any standardisation was carried out.

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