International Day of Sign Languages

The day was proposed by the World Federation of the Deaf, a federation of 135 national associations of deaf people representing some 70 million deaf people around the world. On December 19, 2017, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/72/161, proclaiming September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages. The resolution was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda, co-sponsored by 97 UN Member States, and adopted by consensus.

September 23 was chosen for a reason worth celebrating: it is the date the World Federation of the Deaf was founded in 1951. The federation’s inaugural congress in Rome brought together representatives of associations from 25 countries, and it has worked ever since to preserve sign languages and Deaf culture as prerequisites for the realization of the human rights of deaf people. The first International Day of Sign Languages was celebrated on September 23, 2018, as part of the International Week of the Deaf, itself an observance dating back to 1958.

Here is the wonderful truth the day exists to spread: sign languages are fully fledged natural languages, structurally distinct from spoken languages, with their own grammar and richness. There is no single universal sign language. The World Federation of the Deaf notes that more than 300 different sign languages are used around the world, and sharing a spoken language does not mean sharing a sign language: British Sign Language and American Sign Language, for example, are not mutually intelligible and come from different language families.

The numbers behind the day are striking. The World Federation of the Deaf counts approximately 72 million deaf people worldwide, with more than 80 percent living in developing countries. Recognition of sign languages took a landmark step with the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which called on nations to recognize, accept, and promote the use of sign languages. The modern linguistic understanding owes much to William Stokoe, whose 1960 work helped mainstream linguistics recognize sign languages as complete linguistic systems.

Each year the day carries a theme that keeps the focus on rights and inclusion. The 2026 theme, “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights,” captures the day’s spirit perfectly: sign language rights are human rights. The blue ribbon serves as the day’s symbol, and events range from signed performances and lessons to campaigns pushing for sign language access in schools, workplaces, and public life.

Celebrating is easy and joyful. Learn to sign hello, thank you, or your name in your country’s sign language. Watch a signed story or performance. Support Deaf creators and interpreters. And remember the simplest message of the day: every hand that signs is keeping a language, and a culture, alive. On September 23, the whole world is invited to join the conversation, no voice required.

The day sits inside a bigger week of celebration. The International Week of Deaf People, first celebrated in 1958, surrounds the day each year; in 2025 it ran from September 22 to 28 under the theme “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights.” The World Federation of the Deaf marks the occasion with global events such as its Global Leader Challenges, while countries hold their own signed performances, lessons, and awareness campaigns.

There is even a bridge language for crossing borders. An international sign language is used by deaf people in international meetings and informally when travelling and socializing, a living reminder that the desire to connect finds a way. The UN resolution behind the day recognized multilingualism as a core value of the United Nations, a means of promoting, protecting, and preserving the diversity of languages and cultures throughout the world, and sign languages belong at the heart of that diversity.

The day’s yearly themes read like a mission statement unfolding over time. The 2018 theme was “With Sign Language, Everyone is Included!”, followed by “Sign Language Rights for All!” in 2019, “Sign Languages Are for Everyone!” in 2020, “We Sign for Human Rights!” in 2021, “Sign Languages Unite Us!” in 2022, “A World Where Deaf People Everywhere Can Sign Anywhere!” in 2023, “Sign up for sign language rights!” in 2024, and “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights” in 2025. The 2026 theme, “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights,” carries the same charge forward.

Getting the day proclaimed was itself a global team effort. The World Federation of the Deaf worked with its member countries to rally support from their Permanent Missions to the United Nations, and the resulting resolution invited all UN member states to promote the day and raise awareness of sign languages in society as a whole. That is the spirit September 23 keeps: a worldwide invitation, extended in every sign language, to notice, to learn, and to include.

Behind the celebration stands a rights framework with real weight. The UN resolution that created the day references the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its call to recognize, accept, and promote the use of sign languages. The 2026 theme, “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights,” makes the point plainly: access to sign language is not a courtesy, it is a right.

THE STORY BEHIND INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SIGN LANGUAGES

👋 Proclaimed by the United Nations
On December 19, 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/72/161, proclaiming September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages. It was sponsored by Antigua and Barbuda, co-sponsored by 97 Member States, and adopted by consensus.

📅 Why September 23
The date honors the founding of the World Federation of the Deaf on September 23, 1951. Its first congress in Rome drew representatives from 25 countries. The first observance took place on September 23, 2018, during the International Week of the Deaf.

👐 Real Languages, Hundreds of Them
Sign languages are fully fledged natural languages, distinct from spoken ones. More than 300 are used worldwide, and sharing a spoken language does not mean sharing a sign language: British and American Sign Language are not mutually intelligible.

🌎 72 Million People
The World Federation of the Deaf counts about 72 million deaf people worldwide, over 80 percent in developing countries. The day protects their linguistic identity and cultural diversity and pushes for sign language access everywhere.

💙 A Blue Ribbon and a Bold Theme
The blue ribbon is the day’s symbol. The 2026 theme, “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights,” sums up the mission: sign language rights are human rights.

WAYS TO CELEBRATE

👋 Learn Your First Signs
Look up how to sign hello, thank you, and your name in your country’s sign language. A few signs learned with care are a genuine act of respect.

🎬 Watch and Listen With Your Eyes
Find a signed story, performance, or lesson online and follow along. Notice how much meaning hands, faces, and bodies carry without a single spoken word.

📢 Amplify Deaf Voices
Share a Deaf creator, an interpreter, or a local sign language class with #IDSL. Visibility is one of the day’s core goals, and your share adds to it.

Celebrate International Day of Sign Languages

On September 23, 2027, join the conversation that needs no voice. Learn a sign, share a story, and celebrate the languages spoken by hands.