International Day of Sign Languages
About the International Day of Sign Languages
When is the International Day of Sign Languages? This holiday is always celebrated: on September 23
Tens of millions of people around the world are deaf, or hearing-impaired. This is a significant impediment when communicating with others. To compensate, a number of sign languages evolved as a vital communication tool for deaf people. These languages have been around for hundreds of years. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution creating the International Day of Sign Languages. This September 23 holiday seeks to raise awareness of the importance of sign languages used all over the world. And, this holiday promotes the special communication needs of deaf people wherever they are.
Deaf and hearing-impaired individuals don’t want you to pity them. And, they definitely do not want to be looked down upon or discriminated against because they can’t hear you. Rather, they simply want to communicate with you. They can’t hear you with their ears. But, they can communicate effectively with you via sign language.
Worldwide, there are over 300 sign languages. Practically all of the 70 million deaf people in the world are fluent in one or more sign languages. In the United States, American Sign Language (ASL) is the accepted language for deaf people. Not only deaf people use it, but also many elderly and other hard-of-hearing people learn and use it, too. In the United States, just 10,000 people know it and act as interpreters. But, that leaves several billion of us who cannot speak a word in sign language. It makes communications with the deaf community severely impaired. And, you never know when you might need it. So, we challenge you to use this holiday as a catalyst to enroll in a sign language course today! We guarantee you will not be sorry.
International Day of Sign Languages Trivia
Get the facts. Here are some sign language trivia and facts to help you to be better informed
- There are more than 72 million deaf people worldwide. This includes over 11 million Americans. And, many more people are hearing-impaired.
- In 1817, American Sign Language (ASL) became a language course at the American School for the Deaf.
- ASL was not the first sign language. It emerged from Old French Sign Language (OFSL).
- There are more than 300 different sign languages. More than 80% of them are in developing countries.
- Hearing loss is the third most common chronic health problem among older adults.
- Baseball hand signals were developed when deaf baseball player William “Dummy” Hoy played for the Chicago White Sox in the early 1900s.
- At the present time there are 10,000 sign language interpreters in the United States.
- Apes and chimpanzees are taught ASL to communicate with humans.
Top Colleges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Deaf students need not limit their education. If students are academically skilled and inclined to further their education, then there are several excellent colleges in the United States that offer educational programs for the deaf and the hard of hearing. But, two stick out as the top colleges for these students.
They are:
Gallaudet University
Located in Washington, D.C., Gallaudet is considered the best college in the world for the deaf and hard of hearing. It is the world’s only liberal arts college for deaf students. American Sign Language (ASL) is the official language on campus for classes and activites.
National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)
Located in Rochester, NY, NTID is part of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Over 1,100 deaf and hard of hearing students attend classes with the rest of the student body. They offer over 200 programs, primarily technical studies. In the classroom interpreters are RIT underclassmen.
Other Top U.S. Colleges for the Deaf and hard of hearing students:
- Arizona University
- California State University as Northridge
- Central Washington University
- Lamar University
- University of Southern California
- Southwest College for the Deaf
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
How to Celebrate International Day of Sign Languages
There are many ways you can celebrate and participate in International Day of Sign Languages. Here are some of them:
- First, use this September 23 holiday to take the initiative and take a course in sign language.
- Then, once you are fluent in sign language, look for opportunities to be a sign language interpreter for the deaf.
- Further, learn more about the challenges of deaf people.
- Encourage others to learn sign language.
- Look for ways to assist the deaf and hard of hearing.
International Day of Sign Languages Quotes
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” – – Peter Drucker
“Hearing nuns’ confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.” – – Fulton J. Sheen
History and Origin of International Day of Sign Languages
The World Federation of the Deaf promoted the idea of a day in support of deaf people and sign language to the United Nations. On December 19, 2017, the United Nations General Assembly approved Resolution A/RES/72/161. This resolution established September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages. According to the UN’s website, this day was created to “support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users.” Each year the UN proclaims a different theme for this holiday.
This holiday is an annual celebration.
This Day in History
In addition to the International Day of Sign Languages, here are some things that happened on this day:
- The planet Neptune is first discovered by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle. (1846)
- The U.S. Congress votes to make the rose the national flower. What took them so long!? (1986)
- Bruce Springsteen, singer, songwriter was born on this day in 1949.
Related Holidays
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More September 23 Holidays
In addition to International Day of Sign Languages, here is another September 23 holiday:
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