Danielle Darrah gives an insight to the International Week of the Deaf that centres around human rights by the World Foundation of the Deaf.
In the year of 1958, the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) launched the International Week of the Deaf. Transpiring annually in the last full week of September, this week was founded on the imperative basis of the WFD globally fusing to fight for the rights of d/Deaf people. The week consists of several activities surrounding a yearly theme that will celebrate the international Sign Languages as well as equality within the opportunities that d/Deaf people receive. This year’s theme was pronounced “Reaffirming Deaf People’s Human Rights” and centred around promoting and reevaluating the d/Deaf communities human rights.
"This week was founded on the imperative basis of the WFD globally fusing to fight for rights of d/Deaf people"
The importance of the #IWDeaf (International Week of the Deaf) can be seen through us conveying the right to sign language which is laced into our social and educational rights to receive basic lessons and education to a national sign language. In demanding these basic rights, we promote inclusivity for everyone (as sign language is the only language that fully d/Deaf people can use requiring no exertion). This is interlinked heavily with our human rights as d/Deaf people should not struggle with accessing all services freely and accessibly. In addition, #IWDeaf is campaigning for equal opportunities within the d/Deaf community itself. Ensuring that even this minority group itself does not experience discrimination is crucial to reaching an inclusive society. This means other minority groups such as BIPOC and LGBTQ+, and even d/Deaf girls and women (who are massively underrepresented), within the d/Deaf community are being held up to receive equal access to services and opportunities as others.
To find out more about this week and understand how you can participate or inform others of this vital knowledge, head over to the World Foundation of the Deaf’s website - http://wfdeaf.org/charter/ - and see the activities that they ran to promote the human rights.
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