ESSENTIAL FRAMEWORK OF THE LEGAL STATUS OF SIGN LANGUAGE: RECOGNITION AND OFFICIALITY

• Published in: Revista de llengua i dret no. 78; p. 177
• Main Author: Venade de Sousa, Filipe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Barcelona Escola d'Administracio Publica de Catalunya 01-12-2022
• Subjects: Catalan language; Deafness; Interpersonal communication; Official languages; Portuguese language; Sign language
• DOI: 10.2436/rld.i78.2022.3843
• EISSN: 0212-5056

The present article aims to contribute to understanding the meaning and scope of recognition and officiality of the legal status of sign languages – using the example of the legal status of Portuguese Sign Language and Catalan Sign Language – with respect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). To a certain extent, the Convention seeks to respond to and protect the inherent rights of deaf people, according special consideration to their inherent rights in linguistic matters. Although the fundamental definition of officiality in the respective sign language statutes may vary according to the national legal system of the sign language in question, it can be said that the minimum presuppositions of officiality under the Convention are that the State recognize sign language as a fully-fledged language, with such characteristics as to make it a legitimately valid means of communication used in interactions between deaf people and public authorities in general..