International Day of Sign Languages

Sep 23, 2026

Each year on September 23, the International Day of Sign Languages recognizes the importance of sign languages to Deaf people around the world and their fundamental connection to human rights, identity and full participation in society.

Sign languages are complete, natural languages, with their own structures, histories and cultural significance. They are also remarkably diverse. There is no single universal sign language. Hundreds of sign languages are used around the world, shaped by the communities and cultures in which they have developed.

For people who are Deaf, access to sign language is about much more than communication. It can be essential to accessing education, employment, health care, justice and public services, and to participating fully in community and public life. When information, services or opportunities are not accessible in sign language, people can encounter barriers that exclude them from exercising their rights on an equal basis with others.

Accessibility requires us to recognize and remove those barriers. It also asks us to understand that equality does not always mean providing everyone with information or services in the same way. It means creating the conditions in which everyone can participate with dignity, independence and choice.

Here in Nova Scotia, American Sign Language and Maritime Sign Language are part of the linguistic and cultural fabric of our communities. The knowledge and lived experience of Deaf people must continue to inform our work toward a more accessible province.

On the International Day of Sign Languages, we celebrate the richness of sign languages and the communities that sustain them. We also reaffirm a simple principle at the heart of human rights: everyone should be able to communicate, participate and be understood.

The preceding is a message from Joseph Fraser, Director and CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

Resources