The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) participated in the Sign Language Rights Advocacy Meeting organised by the Association for the Deaf Laos through an online presentation on sign language rights.
The meeting brought together Lao deaf leaders, representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Education and Sports, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), and other key stakeholders.
During the presentation, the WFD highlighted the importance of the legal recognition of national sign languages and the obligations of States under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The presentation also shared international good practices and emphasised that recognising sign languages is essential to ensuring equal access to communication, education, public services, and the full enjoyment of human rights by deaf people.
This meeting builds on previous collaboration between the WFD and the Association for the Deaf Laos. The WFD had previously conducted an in-country training on sign language rights for deaf leaders in Laos in 2023. We are pleased to see that the knowledge and advocacy tools shared during that training are now being actively applied by the Association for the Deaf Laos to engage with government representatives and other stakeholders in promoting sign language rights.
The WFD congratulates the Association for the Deaf Laos on this important advocacy initiative and looks forward to continuing to support efforts towards the legal recognition of sign language and the full inclusion of Deaf people in Laos.
