International Mother Language Day is an important day for us.
Dear Friends,
On this day, I would like share with you Marco’s story.
Marco, child of deaf adult, was one of the WFD representatives at the 10th annual UN Minority Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, who convinced decision makers to include deaf people and sign languages in their work. At the forum, he shared his story.
Marco was not allowed to learn his mother tongue. Just because his parents are deaf.
Even though sign language is one of the largest minority languages, it was never provided in school for Marco to learn. His sign language was simply not good enough.
He felt guilty, lonely and disconnected from his parents. Unfortunately, Marco is not alone.
Historically, children of deaf adults are prevented from learning their parent’s sign language. Society often views deaf people as “disabled people” thus incapable of making their own decisions and knowing what’s best for them.
We need to ensure families like Marco’s can learn and use sign language.
With enough resources, we can continue our work in ensuring that no one is denied to use sign language as their mother tongue.
But this is not possible without your continuous support.
To give SIGN LANGUAGE RIGHTS TO ALL, please become our regular donor today.
Colin Allen AM
President,
World Federation of the Deaf