60% of countries in the world have not legally recognised their national sign language. To support the advocacy work of our Ordinary Members, WFD is pleased to launch the Guidelines for Achieving Sign Language Rights. In this advocacy toolkit we have developed tools and strategies that will strengthen deaf communities and advance the adoption of robust and meaningful legal recognition of national sign languages.

This book is the outcome of a project funded by the Nippon Foundation, “Securing Access to Sign Language Rights,” since 2019. The primary goals of the project were to provide national associations of deaf people with a set of resources that promote their aims of securing legal recognition for their national sign languages. In addition to this Guidelines, the WFD conducted a few workshops to strengthen the capacities of national deaf associations, and provide information and resources on sign language rights.

The WFD encourages national associations of deaf people, allies and advocates, policymakers, and all other stakeholders to use this toolkit to ensure all deaf people can enjoy a fundamental human right: the right to a language.

With this toolkit, we take a step closer to our vision of a world where deaf people everywhere can sign anywhere.