Union Minister BL Verma Highlights Linguistic Rights on Sign Language Day

Union Minister BL Verma emphasized the government's commitment to linguistic human rights for the hearing impaired during the celebration of Sign Language Day 2024. The event saw the launch of 2,500 new terms in Indian Sign Language and various educational initiatives to promote sign language and improve accessibility for the deaf community.

Union Minister BL Verma underscored the government's unwavering commitment to safeguarding the linguistic human rights of the hearing impaired across the nation during the celebration of Sign Language Day 2024. The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment commemorated the event by highlighting the theme, 'Sign up for Sign Language Rights,' focusing on promoting the linguistic rights of the deaf community.

A significant milestone of the celebration was the introduction of 2,500 new terms in Indian Sign Language (ISL), in collaboration with organizations including YUNIKEE, India Signing Hands, Bridge Connectivity Solutions, and Anuprayaas. Verma reiterated the government's dedication to ensuring the linguistic human rights of deaf individuals nationwide.

Secretary of the Disability Affairs Department Rajesh Aggarwal stressed the importance of early intervention to address various disabilities among children. The newly introduced ISL terms span a diverse range of subjects such as mathematics, science, higher education, sports, and infrastructure. Additionally, ISLRTC unveiled 100 concept videos for class 6 hearing-impaired students, developed with YUNIKEE to enhance concept clarity through ISL explanations, graphical imagery, subtitles, and audio.

To further improve accessibility, the ISL dictionary is now available in 10 regional languages. Educational animated videos and Deaf Role Model videos were also launched to inspire and motivate hearing-impaired children. The event recognized the winners of the 7th Indian Sign Language Competition 2024, a national competition for students with hearing disabilities. Celebrated annually on September 23, Sign Language Day aims to preserve and promote sign languages as a vital component of linguistic and cultural diversity.

(With inputs from agencies.)