Sign Language Access is a Human Right

Growing up within the vibrant Deaf community of the Bay Area, California, I was immersed in a culture rich with leadership, activism, and creativity. As a third-generation Deaf individual and a mother to a Deaf 12-year-old, I am deeply committed to ensuring that future generations receive the access and opportunities necessary for their flourishing.

Despite the resilience and dynamism of our community, we face significant challenges. This is a direct result of institutional and systemic audism that has harmed us for generations, from language deprivation to the many barriers that exist within education.  Globally, many Deaf children lack adequate access to language during critical developmental stages. Over 90% of Deaf Children are born to hearing parents, often unfamiliar with Deaf culture and the importance of sign language. Consequently, these families are frequently led to believe that lip-reading or the use of hearing aids will suffice for communication. However, these approaches do not facilitate true language acquisition; Deaf children require access to sign language from birth to support their cognitive and social development.

The statistics are striking: The majority of hearing families do not learn sign language, only 10% of deaf children learn ASL, and a staggering 98% of Deaf children do not receive an education in sign language. Language deprivation has severe and lasting consequences for cognitive and emotional wellbeing.

This is a human rights crisis. 

Without language, we are dehumanized. This is what is happening to Deaf babies, total dehumanization of them. 

Together at Motion Light Lab with our community partners, we are actively working to raise awareness and establish the infrastructure necessary for sign language access, spanning from early childhood education to lifelong learning. September is Deaf Awareness Month, and on September 23, we celebrate the International Day of Sign Languages, with this year focusing on the theme “sign up for sign language rights.”

 

To celebrate this moment, I’ve written some facts (and dispelled some myths) about the Deaf community:

• Diversity of Sign Languages:  There are over 300 documented sign languages worldwide, each unique to its cultural context, similar to spoken languages. Currently, 76 countries recognize sign language as an official language. The legal recognition of sign languages is a crucial stepping point to ensuring access for Deaf people.

•  Popularity of American Sign Language: American Sign Language (ASL) is the third most taught language in U.S. colleges and universities, reflecting a growing recognition of its significance. Along with scores of new ASL learners, this is an opportunity for allyship with the Deaf community to support the dismantling of systemic audism and ableism.

• Critical Role of Early Acquisition: Extensive research demonstrates that early sign language acquisition (ages 0-3) is crucial for cognitive development, facilitating literacy and academic success. The absence of such access can lead to profound language deprivation with detrimental lifelong effects.

• Contributions to Technology: Deaf people are behind many of humankind’s technological advancements. The telephone was invented by the inventor Alexander Graham Bell who was trying to amplify sound for his Deaf wife Mabel Hubbard, and his Deaf mother, Eliza Grace Symonds Bell. Captioning and video calls like FaceTime, Zoom, and Skype were developed to meet the needs of Deaf people for accessible communication. In 1964, Robert Weitbrecht, a Deaf scientist, developed the TTY (Teletypewriter), a device that enabled Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to communicate via telephone using text.

• Understanding Audism: Audism refers to the oppression of individuals based on the belief in the superiority of hearing. Systemic audism manifests as exclusionary practices that marginalize Deaf individuals within societal frameworks.

• Historical Context of Advocacy: The National Association of the Deaf, founded in 1880, is the oldest continuous civil rights organization in the United States, illustrating the Deaf community’s long-standing commitment to advocacy and social justice.

By fostering awareness and advocating for sign language access as a human right, we can work collaboratively towards a future where every Deaf child is empowered to thrive.