May 11, 2020

Deaf people, like other marginalised groups, can experience greater vulnerability during times of crisis. In this Covid-19 global emergency it is critical that deaf people are treated equally and without discrimination by ensuring the provision of access to information and health services in their national sign languages, as well as access to all forms of daily life activities such as education and other public services which may be presented in different formats during this pandemic.   

Deaf people can be subject to multiple or aggravated forms of discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender, sexuality, language, religion, political opinion, national, ethnic, indigenous or social origin, age or audist attitudes and actions. 

The WFD has conducted video meetings with our nine global regions to learn more about the status of deaf people during the Covid-19 pandemic. During these meetings the WFD was concerned to learn that some deaf people are experiencing intersectional discrimination, such as by being deaf and of Asian descent.   Article 7 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights  and Article 5 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that all are equal before the law and all are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection and equal benefit of the law. 

The WFD condemns all discrimination against deaf people on any basis and calls on all people and governments to respect deaf people as equal citizens. We are all in this together, and must work together to defeat this pandemic.

Read more: The statement