International Day of Sign Languages: Language Is a Human Right, Not an Option

International Week of Deaf People 2026 - Day 2 & Day 3
September 23, 2026

I had planned to publish a Day 2 article yesterday. I didn't.

Not because I forgot about it. I actually spent more time thinking about the topic, and the more I thought about it, the more I realised that yesterday's theme and today's theme are connected in a way that makes more sense as one conversation.

Okay, you don catch me. 😂 I actually wrote it late, and as I was writing, I realised my thoughts were leaning heavily into Deaf people feeling left out in regular school settings. But then I had to pause and think about it properly. Many countries already have special schools that are helping to bridge that gap, so I didn't want to intentionally build an entire article around presenting a problem that already has an obvious solution.

That didn't feel honest to me.

Rather than forcing an angle just because it fits the theme, I thought it would make more sense to step back and look at the bigger connection between education, language, and Deaf people's human rights. And that's what eventually led me to combine Day 2 and Day 3 into one conversation.

Day 2, which was Tuesday, September 22, focused on “The Right to a Quality Multilingual Inclusive Education (CRPD Article 24).” Today, Wednesday, September 23, is “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights,” and it is also the International Day of Sign Languages. (United Nations)

And honestly, the more I thought about both themes, the more one question kept coming back to me: What is education without a language you can fully access

Think about it.

We usually know what a school looks like. There is a building, classrooms, teachers, uniforms, books, exams and, hopefully, a certificate waiting somewhere at the end of the journey.

So if a Deaf child is in school, we might naturally think, “Good. The child is getting an education.”

But is being in school the same thing as actually having access to education?

This is where the conversation gets interesting.

I don't want to make this about saying Deaf children should simply be moved from special schools into regular hearing schools. That's not the point. Special schools exist, and they can provide important environments for Deaf learners.

The bigger question is what happens inside the educational experience itself.

Can the child fully understand the language being used to teach them? Can they communicate freely with their teachers and classmates? Are there teachers who understand how to teach Deaf learners? Is sign language properly available? Are there appropriate learning materials? Can the child develop academically and socially without constantly fighting to access the very thing they came to school for?

Because a school can exist and still have gaps. And this is why I think today's conversation about sign language is so important. Sign language is not just something Deaf people use because they cannot hear, it is a language.

The United Nations describes sign languages as fully developed natural languages that are structurally different from spoken languages. The UN also notes that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes the importance of sign language, including learning sign language and promoting the linguistic identity of the Deaf community. (United Nations)

If language is how we learn, communicate, express ourselves, build relationships and understand the world around us, then access to language is a pretty big deal. Actually, it's much bigger than a big deal. It is foundational.

Imagine telling a hearing child, “You can go to school, but we're going to make communication difficult for you.” Sounds ridiculous, right?

Now imagine a Deaf child who needs sign language to fully access communication and education, but sign language isn't properly available to them. Suddenly, the problem becomes much clearer. And this is where education and human rights collides.

The UN's resolution establishing the International Day of Sign Languages specifically recognizes that early access to sign language and quality education available in sign language are vital to the growth and development of Deaf people. (Official Document System) so when we talk about quality education for Deaf learners, I don't think we should reduce the conversation to whether the child is sitting inside a classroom.

We should be asking whether the child is actually learning, communicating, participating and developing because those are not automatically guaranteed by a school admission letter and there is another part of this that I find really interesting.

When people hear “sign language,” many immediately think about Deaf people communicating with one another. But sign language affects much more than conversation.

It affects education.

It affects access to information.

It affects relationships.

It affects healthcare.

It affects employment.

It affects public services.

It affects a person's ability to participate in society.

That is why today's International Day of Sign Languages is not simply a celebration of people who use their hands to communicate. The UN says the day exists to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of Deaf people. (United Nations) and I think that's a much bigger conversation than many of us realise.

There is also something beautiful about the fact that sign languages give Deaf people a way to communicate without having to constantly fit themselves into a world designed around hearing. A Deaf person doesn't need to become less Deaf to deserve access. They don't need to apologise for using sign language. They don't need to prove that they are capable before their language is respected and this is where I think we need to be careful with the word “inclusion.”

Sometimes we use the word as if putting someone in a room automatically means they have been included.

You can be in the room and still miss the conversation.

You can be enrolled in school and still miss the lesson.

You can attend an event and still have no idea what is happening.

You can have access to a service on paper and still struggle to actually use it.

So perhaps inclusion isn't simply about opening the door.

Sometimes, it's about asking whether the person can actually participate once they walk through it. That is why I don't see yesterday's education theme and today's human-rights and sign-language theme as two completely separate conversations.

Language affects education. Education affects opportunity. Opportunity affects participation. And participation is part of living with dignity and exercising your rights.

The World Federation of the Deaf has made national sign languages a major part of this year's International Week of Deaf People, while the UN's 2026 International Day of Sign Languages carries the theme “Declaring Deaf People's Human Rights.” (United Nations)

And maybe this is the part I want people to take away from today's article: Don't just ask whether a Deaf child has a school. Ask whether that child has language access.

Don't just ask whether a Deaf person was invited. Ask whether they can actually participate.

Don't just celebrate sign language today because it's International Day of Sign Languages. Ask yourself what it would look like if sign language were treated as a normal and valuable part of our society.

Maybe more people would learn it.

Maybe more parents would be encouraged to learn it when they have Deaf children.

Maybe more teachers would understand it.

Maybe businesses would think differently about communication.

Maybe Deaf people wouldn't have to keep explaining why access matters.

And maybe, eventually, we would stop treating communication access as some extra favour we give people when we're feeling particularly inclusive. I’m typing this now: It is not a favour.

Language is not a luxury. Education is not a favour. And human rights are not supposed to depend on how convenient inclusion is.

This is Day 2 and Day 3 of my International Week of Deaf People 2026 series, combined into one conversation.

Yesterday's theme was “The Right to a Quality Multilingual Inclusive Education (CRPD Article 24).”

Today's theme is “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights,” and today is also the International Day of Sign Languages.

And I think both themes are asking us to look beyond the surface. It’s not just: Is the Deaf person in the room?

But:

Can they understand? Can they communicate? Can they learn? Can they participate? Can they belong?

Because sometimes, the difference between being present and being included is simply having access to a language you can fully call your own.