Deaf Navigator Program

Yesterday was the International Day of Sign Languages. 🌍🤟

The date is not arbitrary. On 23 September 1951, delegates from 25 countries met in Rome and founded the World Federation of the Deaf. The UN chose that anniversary when it created this day — a resolution proposed by Antigua and Barbuda, co-sponsored by 97 member states, and adopted by consensus in December 2017.

There is no universal sign language. There are more than 300 of them. There is an International Sign used at global gatherings, but it is a contact pidgin with a limited vocabulary, not a replacement for anyone's actual language.

Around 70 million deaf people sign worldwide. More than 80 percent of them live in developing countries.

What the resolution actually says is the part worth reading twice: sign languages hold equal status to spoken languages, and states are obliged to facilitate learning them.

That is not awareness. That is law.



World Federation of the Deaf Ry

[Image description: A color photograph of a crowd outdoors, dozens of hands raised in the air with palms open and fingers spread. People of a range of ages are packed together; a hand-painted placard in red on black at upper left reads "SAVE AUSLAN." Dark green trees fill the background. Small text at the top reads "Deaf Connection" above a white pill reading "WORTH KNOWING." A serif headline reads "The UN recognized sign languages by consensus." Centered lower text reads "Day of Sign Languages," "UN observance • 23 September," "Why it mattered: Equal status to spoken languages — 300+ of them." The Tive logo sits at the bottom center.]

Your comments for Deaf Awareness Month

At the beginning of the month we announced that September is Deaf Awareness Month. We asked what you wanted hearing people to know.

Wow. We received many deeply felt responses. Thank you for participating and creating more awareness with your comments. Let's not wait until next year to share the 2026 comments. Let's get it out there right now. Another will follow next week.

Today!

FREE medical clinic continues tomorrow the 20th. ASL INTERPRETER AVAILABLE.