Sign language recognition in the EUfile/...Deaf_Education_Conference_10.11.2016.pdf · Sign...
20
Sign language recognition in the EU Estonian Deaf Education at a Crossroad Jubilee conference of 150 Years of Deaf Education Nordic Hotel Forum conference centre, Tallinn 10th of November, 2016 Dr. Markku Jokinen European Union of the Deaf President
Transcript of Sign language recognition in the EUfile/...Deaf_Education_Conference_10.11.2016.pdf · Sign...
SignlanguagerecognitionintheEU
EstonianDeafEducationataCrossroadJubileeconferenceof150YearsofDeafEducationNordicHotelForumconferencecentre,Tallinn
10thofNovember,2016Dr. MarkkuJokinen
EuropeanUnionoftheDeafPresident
Introduction
• UNCRPD:Signlanguagesspecificallyincludedinlanguagedefinitions(article2),otherarticles9,21,24and30• Article21oftheCharteroffundamental(EU)rightsprohibitsdiscriminationonthebasisoflanguage• SignlanguagerecognitionsituationinEUstillproblematic:• FragmentationofsignlanguagelegislationsintheEU• Lackofrespectofsignlanguageusers’linguisticrights
EuropeanUnionoftheDeaf• ENGO comprisingNADs• 31 fullmembers(28 EUMemberStates+Iceland,Norway, andSwitzerland)• Only supranationalorganisation representingDeaf peopleatEuropeanlevelinconsultationwithEUInstitutions/officials• 3 long-termgoals:
• Recognition oftherighttouseanindigenous sign language• Empowerment throughcommunicationand information• Equality ineducationandemployment
EU Statistics
60-80 million
715 000
9 900
73
Deaf Sign Language users
Hard of hearing
Registered sign language interpreters
SignlanguagesinEurope
• About1millionsignlanguageusersinEurope• Ratiofrom5:1to500:1signlanguageuserstosignlanguageinterpretersintheEU• ImportantvariationsacrossEUcountries
SignLanguageLegislationintheEU
EUDBook2012
• 2nd VersionpublishedinNovember2012• Collectionofalllegislationmentioning/recognisingSLacrossEurope• LegislationatUN,EU,national,andregionallevel• SLasaHumanRight(LinguisticHumanRights)• SLasmothertongueofDeafpeople
Sign language recognition
• Constitution• Separate sign language law• Disability law• Education law• Police(criminal law)•Mediaandcommunication law• Interpreter law• Other
Member States Constitution Separate Language Disability Education Media/Communication Criminal Procedure Interpreting Health Employment Other TOTALAustria ✓ ✓ ✓ 3Belgium - Flanders ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 5Belgium - Wallonia ✓ ✓ ✓ 3Bulgaria ✓ 1Cyprus ✓ 1Czech Republic ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 5Denmark ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 6Estonia ✓ ✓ 2Finland ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 7France ✓ ✓ 2Germany ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 4Greece ✓ ✓ ✓ 3Hungary ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 6Ireland ✓ 1Italy 0Latvia ✓ ✓ ✓ 3Lithuania ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 4Luxembourg 0Malta 0Netherlands ✓ ✓ ✓ 3Poland ✓ ✓ ✓ 3Portugal ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 4Romania ✓ ✓ 2Slovakia ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 5Slovenia ✓ ✓ 2Spain ✓ ✓ 2Sweden ✓ ✓ ✓ 3United Kingdom ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 4Affilated Member StatesBosnia Herzegovina ✓ ✓ 2Iceland ✓ ✓ ✓ 3Norway ✓ 1Switzerland ✓ ✓ ✓ 3
TOTAL 4 12 5 10 17 10 7 16 5 2 4
SignLanguageLegislation inEurope
• ConstitutionalRecognition• RecognitionbyMeansofGeneralLanguageLegislation• RecognitionbyMeansofaSignLanguageLaworAct• RecognitionbyMeansofaSignLanguageLaworAct,includingOtherMeansofCommunication• RecognitionbyMeansofLegislationontheFunctioningoftheNationalLanguageCouncil
• DeMeulder,M.(2015b).Thelegalrecognitionofsignlanguages.SignLanguageStudies,15(4),498–506.
SignLanguageLegislationinEurope
• ConstitutionalRecognition• Finland(1995,Section17,ontherighttoone’slanguage andculture)• Austria(2005,Article8,onlanguages)• Hungary(2011,ArticleH,onlanguage)• Portugal(1997,Article74,oneducation)
• DeMeulder,M.(2015b).Thelegalrecognitionofsignlanguages.SignLanguageStudies,15(4),498–506.
SignLanguageLegislationinEurope
• RecognitionbyMeansofGeneralLanguageLegislation• Latvia(1999,OfficialLanguageLaw)• Estonia(2007,LanguageAct)• Sweden(2009,LanguageAct)
• DeMeulder,M.(2015b).Thelegalrecognitionofsignlanguages.SignLanguageStudies,15(4),498–506.
SignLanguageLegislationinEurope
• RecognitionbyMeansofaSignLanguageLaworAct• Slovakia(1995,LawontheSignLanguageoftheDeaf)• Slovenia(2002,LawontheUseofSlovenianSignLanguage)• Belgium,Wallonia(2003,DecreeontheRecognitionofSign Language)• Cyprus(2006,ActontheRecognitionofCyprusSignLanguage)• Belgium,Flanders(2006,DecreeontheRecognitionofthe FlemishSignLanguage)• Catalonia(2010,Law17/2010onCatalanSignLanguage)• Finland(2015,SignLanguageAct)
• DeMeulder,M.(2015b).Thelegalrecognitionofsignlanguages.SignLanguageStudies,15(4),498–506.
SignLanguageLegislationinEurope
• RecognitionbyMeansofaSignLanguageLaworAct,includingOtherMeansofCommunication• CzechRepublic(2008,Law384/2008onthecommunication systemsofdeafanddeafblindpeople)• Spain(2007,Law27/2007,[…])• Poland(2011,ActonSignLanguageandOtherMeansof Communication)
• DeMeulder,M.(2015b).Thelegalrecognitionofsignlanguages.SignLanguageStudies,15(4),498–506.
SignLanguageLegislationinEurope
• RecognitionbyMeansofLegislationontheFunctioningoftheNationalLanguageCouncil• Denmarkhaverecognisedtheirnationalsign languagesinlegislationonthefunctioningofthe languagecouncilin2014• Lithuania(1991,LawofSocialIntegrationofDisabled People)• Germany(2002,DisabilityEqualityLaw)• Greece(2002,EducationLaw)• France(2005,EducationLaw)
• DeMeulder,M.(2015b).Thelegalrecognitionofsignlanguages.SignLanguageStudies,15(4),498–506.
Nationallegislations
Sign LanguagePolicies Languageplanning –language maintenance
Evaluation
• Preferredrecognitionmode:constitution,asthisisthemostfundamentaltextoflaw• Otherwiserecognitionincross-cuttinglanguageorspecificsignlanguagerecognitionisalsoacceptable• Recognitionintopic-specificlawsislessideal,asthisonlyrecognises thelanguageinthisoneareaoflife• Urgencytorecognise thenationalsignlanguagesintheremainingEUcountries,aslackofrecognitionconstitutessignificantbarriersforthedeaf
Signlanguageisafullyaccessiblelanguage
• oneoftheimportanttoolstoenablefullandequalparticipation ineducationandasmembersofthecommunity
• signlanguageshouldbeincludedinallspheresoftheeducationofdeafchildren:• schoollegislation• curriculum• learningmaterials• teachereducation• schoolsubjects• school/communitypractices• familysupport
Conclusion
• Needtoraiseawarenessandinfluencenationalpolicy-makingonsignlanguagerecognition• Suggestion:EUinstitutionstoadoptaguidancedocumentpresentingfeaturesofsuccessfulsignlanguagerecognitionlawtohelp‘standardisation’ofsignlanguagerecognition• Standardisation wouldfacilitatefreedomofmovementforalldeafEuropeans• ImportantthatMEPssupporttheresolutionofanewcomingresolutionofrecentBrusselsconferenceMultilingualismandequalrightsintheEU:theroleofsignlanguages leadedbydeafMPHelgaStevens
