#FullInclusionWithSignLanguage!
#InternationalWeekoftheDeaf2017
#IWD2017

WHAT

What is International Week of the Deaf? from World Federation of the Deaf on Vimeo.

International Week of the Deaf is an initiative of the WFD and was first launched in 1958 in Rome, Italy. It is celebrated annually by the global Deaf Community on the last week of September to commemorate the same month the first World Congress of the WFD was held. IWD is celebrated through various activities by the respective Deaf Communities worldwide. These activities call for participation and involvements of various stakeholders including families, peers, governmental bodies, professional sign language interpreters, and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities.

WHY

Why is International Week of the Deaf important? from World Federation of the Deaf on Vimeo.

The only week in a year
that sees highly concerted global advocacy to raise awareness about the Deaf Community on different levels. It is about gather together, becoming united, and showing that unity to the rest of the world.
Promote human rights
of deaf people and highlight topics that merit attention.
Calls for unity
to the rest of the world through consistent, coordinated and widespread mobilisation to ensure that the campaigns are visible through sufficient media coverage.

2017 THEME

Introduction Video from World Federation of the Deaf on Vimeo.

International Week of the Deaf takes place under the theme ‘Full Inclusion with Sign Language!’. It mirrors the theme of the 3rd International Week of the Deaf 2017 and highlights that full inclusion of deaf people is possible when sign language is recognised and used widely within the society.

International Week of the Deaf emphasises the importance of sign language. Without the recognition, utilisation and promotion of sign language, the rights in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons of Disabilities and the recently adopted 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals cannot be fully achieved.