Legal recognition of sign language
In a report, the Federal Council outlines ways in which sign language could be legally recognized to help people integrate into the job and education market.
A majority of European countries have legally recognized one or more sign languages. However, Switzerland is still one of the countries that does not explicitly recognize sign language legally. In Switzerland, about 10,000 people use one of the three sign languages as their first language. These include the Swiss-German sign language, the Langue de signes française and the Lingua dei segni italiana.
In a current report, which addresses four submitted postulates, the Federal Council is currently examining various possibilities of legal recognition: on the one hand, the recognition of Swiss sign languages within the framework of agreements of the Council of Europe, on the other hand, also within the framework of language freedom. Further under discussion is a recognition as national languages, partial official languages as well as promotional languages.
Confederation and cantons promote sign language
However, the Federal Council does not see the recognition of Swiss sign languages as a mandatory prerequisite to further improve the social integrity of hearing-impaired people and has instructed the Department of Home Affairs to expand the dialogue with the organizations of the deaf as well as the federal and cantonal agencies involved and to examine the possibilities for improvement mentioned in the report.
The disability insurance already promotes the professional integration of hearing-impaired people by funding sign language interpreters. There is also a Disability Equality Act that enables hearing-impaired children and young people and their relatives to use appropriate communication technology, including sign language, the Federal Council writes in a statement.
Source: the Federal Council
