First dialog on sign language
Representatives of the Swiss Federation of the Deaf (SGB-FSS), the Federal Administration and several inter-cantonal conferences are meeting today for an initial dialog on sign language. The aim is to find out how the participation of deaf people in Switzerland can be further improved.
Sign language is a language in its own right and separate from spoken language. Around 10,000 deaf people in Switzerland use one of the three national sign languages as their first language, including the Langue de signes signes française and the Lingua dei segni italiana.
At today's meeting, organized by the Federal Office for the Equality of Persons with Disabilities (FOGE), an initial dialogue on sign language will explore how the participation of deaf people in Switzerland can be further improved.
The aim of the exchange was to first of all make an overview of the concerns of the deaf community and to discuss together the framework in which these concerns could be taken up and further developed. In a second phase, the aim would be to explore possible options for action at a specialist level.
Work in six subject areas
Together with the Swiss Federation of the Deaf (SGB-FSS), the ETUCE has identified six priority topics for the dialog:
- Access to public information from the federal government
- Bilingual education (teaching in sign language and spoken language)
- Access to interpreting services
- Access to healthcare
- Language and culture
- Statistics on deaf people in Switzerland
Source: General Secretariat FDHA
