75 Years of Human Rights: Are Deaf People Really Enjoying Those Rights?

International Week of Deaf People 2026 - Day 7
September 27, 2026

Seven days.

When I started this series, I knew I wanted to talk about Deaf inclusion, but I honestly didn't expect each day's theme to make me think this much. Every day seemed to open another door to a conversation I thought I already understood, only to realise there was still another layer underneath it.

And now we are here. Day 7. The final day of International Week of Deaf People 2026. Today's theme is “75 Years of Human Rights.” It marks 75 years since the World Federation of the Deaf was founded in 1951, with a vision connected to the rights, dignity and participation of Deaf people around the world. Seventy-five years later, the work continues, and the WFD's message is clear: Deaf people's rights are human rights. (World Federation of the Deaf) but that statement made me stop because saying that Deaf people's rights are human rights sounds obvious. Of course they are.

The real question is: what does that actually look like in everyday life? What does a human right look like when the person exercising that right cannot access the information they need?

What does the right to education mean when a Deaf learner does not have full access to their language?

What does access to healthcare mean when communicating with the doctor becomes a struggle?

What does the right to work mean if communication barriers make it harder for a qualified Deaf person to get or keep a job?

What does participation mean if important conversations are happening around you but you cannot fully participate in them?

This is where I think human rights become more than words written in documents because it is very easy to say, “Everyone has rights.” The harder part is making sure everyone can actually enjoy those rights. A Deaf person does not need a special version of human rights. They do not need a separate category of dignity, they do not need society to create a completely different definition of opportunity for them.

They need the rights that already belong to them as human beings to actually work in their lives. That is why everything we have talked about this week is connected.
On Day 1, I wrote about how Deafness is not the barrier. Access is. On Day 2 and Day 3, we talked about education, language and why language is a human right, not an option. Day 4 made me think about what accessibility really means when a Deaf person can enter a place but cannot fully access the information or conversation inside it. Day 5 took us into “Nothing About Us Without Us” and the importance of Deaf people being part of decisions and stories that concern them. Day 6 brought us into Deaf culture, identity and the fact that Deaf people are not simply defined by what they cannot hear, and now Day 7 brings everything back to one question:

Are we actually creating a world where Deaf people can enjoy their human rights in the same practical way everyone else does?

Because I think there is a difference between having a right and being able to exercise that right. You can tell someone they have the right to healthcare, but they still need to be able to communicate with the healthcare system.

You can say education is for everyone, but Deaf learners still need meaningful access to language and learning. You can say everyone has the right to participate in society, but participation becomes difficult when communication access is missing. You can say everyone deserves equal opportunity, but opportunity means very little if the systems around you were never designed to include you. This is why I have started seeing Deaf inclusion differently.

It is not simply about being kind to Deaf people.

It is not about doing something nice for Deaf people once in a while.

It is not about feeling sorry for anyone.

And it is definitely not about treating Deaf people as inspirational simply because they are Deaf. It is about rights.
It is about recognising that Deaf people are already part of society and should not have to constantly prove that they deserve to participate in it and perhaps that is one of the biggest things I have taken away from this entire week. Before I started looking more deeply into Deaf inclusion, I could easily have thought that the conversation was mostly about sign language and accessibility. Now I realise those things are connected to almost everything else.

Language connects to education.

Education connects to opportunity.

Opportunity connects to work and independence.

Communication connects to healthcare and public services.

Participation connects to representation.

Culture connects to identity.
And all of these things connect back to something much bigger: Human dignity.

That is why I don't want this series to end with people simply thinking, “Oh, this was a nice Deaf awareness campaign.” I want us to think a little further than that. Because awareness is useful, but what happens after awareness? Do we become more willing to learn sign language?

Do businesses start thinking about Deaf customers differently?

Do schools think more seriously about language access?

Do event organisers consider Deaf participants before the event rather than after someone asks for an interpreter?

Do employers see Deaf people as professionals and potential colleagues rather than people they need to “manage”?

Do we stop telling only stories about Deaf people's struggles and start telling stories about their businesses, careers, families, creativity, culture, achievements and ordinary everyday lives?

Do we actually listen when Deaf people tell us what inclusion means to them? Those questions matter because 75 years is a long time.

The World Federation of the Deaf was founded in 1951. Since then, Deaf communities and organisations around the world have continued advocating for recognition, equality, sign language rights and participation. The CRPD, adopted in 2006, also established an international human-rights framework for persons with disabilities, including recognition of the importance of sign languages and the rights of Deaf people. (World Federation of the Deaf)

But 75 years is also a reminder that human rights work is never simply finished because we have written the words down. There is always the gap between what we say people have a right to and what people actually experience.

And perhaps that is where the next 75 years should take us.

Not just more declarations.

Not just more awareness days.

Not just more hashtags.

But more implementation.

More Deaf leadership.

More accessible communication.

More recognition of national sign languages.

More Deaf people involved in decisions that affect them.

More opportunities.

More listening.

More ordinary moments where a Deaf person does not have to explain why they deserve access and maybe, eventually, we will reach a point where inclusion doesn't feel like a special project anymore. It will simply be normal.

A Deaf person walks into a hospital. Communication is available.

A Deaf person attends an event. They can follow what is happening.

A Deaf person applies for a job. Their Deafness is not automatically treated as a limitation.

A Deaf child learns in a language they can fully access.

A Deaf entrepreneur builds a business.

A Deaf person becomes a leader.

A Deaf person becomes an artist.

A Deaf person becomes a teacher.

A Deaf person becomes famous.

Or they become none of those things.

They just live.

And they still have their rights.

That should never be something they have to earn.

So, as I close this seven-day series, I keep coming back to the same thing, maybe Deaf inclusion isn't really about creating a special place for Deaf people in society. Maybe it is about finally recognising that they were always part of society. The question is whether we are willing to make that society accessible enough for them to fully participate in it.

Seventy-five years of Deaf advocacy is worth celebrating. But it is also worth using as a reminder that the work continues. The World Federation of the Deaf itself describes its 75th anniversary as both a moment to reflect on achievements and an opportunity to look ahead. (World Federation of the Deaf) and for me, that is a good place to end this series.

Not with pity. Not with a “look how difficult life is for Deaf people” message.

But with a much simpler thought: Deaf people have rights because they are human. Not because they are Deaf. Not because someone feels sorry for them. Not because they have achieved something extraordinary. Not because they have convinced society that they are worthy. Just because they are human. If we truly believe that human rights belong to everyone, then Deaf people should not have to keep asking for permission to enjoy theirs.

This is Day 7 and the final day of my International Week of Deaf People 2026 series.
Seven days of conversations about access, education, language, human rights, accessibility, participation, representation, culture and identity. I started this series wanting to talk about Deaf inclusion. I am ending it with a much bigger understanding of what inclusion actually means.

It means Deaf people being able to live, participate, communicate, create, work, learn, belong and dream without their rights becoming negotiable because they are Deaf. Perhaps that is the conversation we should keep having long after this week is over.

Because Deaf people's rights are human rights.