World Federation of the Deaf

🌟 Today, on International Day of Families, we celebrate unity across borders. 95% of deaf children born to hearing families don't have access to sign language. It's time for change. The WFD launches a policy paper advocating for sign language rights. Let's stand together for communication equality. Read the Position Paper on the Right to Sign Language for Families of Deaf Children ➡ https://lnkd.in/ec54NNEP Here are the key points: 1️⃣ Every deaf child deserves to learn and use sign language as their natural language, laying the groundwork for their education, health, and well-being. 2️⃣ Families and carers of deaf children often lack crucial information about sign language, violating their rights and those of their children as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 3️⃣ Governments and quality early intervention services must provide comprehensive information and full access to sign language to prevent further disabilities caused by language deprivation. 4️⃣ Families and carers need ongoing support in embracing the multilingualism of deaf children and nurturing their linguistic minority identity. 5️⃣ Deaf professionals play a crucial role as experts in the deaf community, advocating for sign language and offering invaluable support to families and carers throughout their journey. #SignLanguageRights #FamilyDay

The WFD organised a meeting with its ordinary and associate members to discuss the upcoming election of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the period 2025-2028. Only two deaf individuals have served on the Committee between 2017 and 2020, resulting in deaf people being excluded from the Committee's work at times. For the next election, we are supporting a deaf candidate, Hiroshi Tamon from Japan. We have called on our members to take action to support his candidacy. A WFD delegation will be at the UN in June 2024 and will be able to support its campaign at #COSP17.

The WFD and WASLI (World Association of Sign Language Interpreters) Presidents meet on a regular basis to review issues of common interest. In our most recent meeting we discussed our upcoming 2027 Congresses and issues related to International Sign interpreting. 

The WFD President Joseph Murray visited the Frontrunners leadership training program in Denmark for a workshop on the WFD's work. 

The WFD Board held a closed meeting virtually to address matters of importance between our regular in-person board meetings.  Among other decisions was to determine the dates of the XX World’s Congress of the WFD.

1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣% of the deaf indigenous women in Bolivia do not have access to sexual education, family planning education and gender-based violence prevention programs because they are not implemented in their national sign language. 💬 Access to quality healthcare is a fundamental human right, yet deaf communities face significant barriers. From Nigeria to Latin America, research by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) highlights disparities in healthcare access, especially for deaf women and Indigenous deaf women. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) mandates comprehensive, accessible healthcare services. Let's ensure equitable access to healthcare for all, regardless of abilities. Together, let's achieve the right to health for every deaf person through sign language. 💪✨ #MyHealthMyRight #DeafHealth #WorldHealthDay

In 1880, the 2nd International Congress on the Education of the Deaf took place in Milan, Italy. At this congress, a resolution was passed, advocating for oralism over the use of sign language in deaf education. Many see this Congress as symbolic of social change which impacted the lives of deaf individuals worldwide. We are still living with the effects today, after generations of language deprivation and social marginalization for deaf people. The WFD wants recognition for the history of deaf communities' struggle for recognition of our national sign languages. The WFD, in collaboration with The Nippon Foundation, has collected three important reports from the Milan Congress and the 2010 Vancouver Resolution. We submitted these documents to UNESCO's Memory of the World Program, making history as the first inscription related to the history of deaf people. This recognition by UNESCO is an important step forward in advocating for the rights of deaf people to sign language and inclusive education in our national sign languages. ➡️ Read more: https://wfdeaf.org/unesco

💬 What are the experiences of people with disabilities with accessibility and availability of assistive technologies? International Disability Alliance and GDI Hub to launch the report on their assistive technology user survey. 📅March 27 10-11:30 AM CET ➡️Registration: https://lnkd.in/ga24HB4u

WFD is teaming up with various partners for an impactful project focused on enhancing healthcare access for deaf indigenous women in Bolivia. 🇧🇴 Our recent initiative included comprehensive training sessions covering crucial topics such as sex education, family planning, and the significance of data collection. Together, we're empowering indigenous deaf women to engage more effectively with government programs and ensure their healthcare needs are met.

🇵🇸 "There is no electricity, there is no water." ➡ Please support them by making a donation: https://lnkd.in/eqheJxQY Information provided by the Palestinian Federation of the Deaf #deaf #deafgaza