The World Federation of the Deaf is a global organisation working to ensure equal rights for 70 million people around the globe.

World Federation of the Deaf Charter on Sign Language Rights for All 

1. INTRODUCTION 

1.1. We, the signatories of the present Charter, reaffirm our strong commitment to take all necessary 1 steps to safeguard the inclusion of deaf people in society, recognition of their needs, dignity and human rights as provided for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Developments Goals and all other international human rights treaties.

1.2.We emphasise the paradigm shift from the medical model of disability to the human rights model of disability in line with the CRPD. Deaf people are human rights holders entitled to equal opportunities to participate in society in the same way as other citizens.

1.3.We strive to ensure that deaf people have equal access in society, public and private life, through the use of sign languages, without discrimination, to ensure the full enjoyment of their human, civil, cultural and political rights. Through this Charter, we reaffirm our collective will to place deaf people as actors of their own destiny and inclusion in society.

1.4.For the purpose of this Charter, Sign Language Rights for All includes the rights of deaf people, deaf children, deaf youth, deaf women, deaf elders, deaf LGBTQIA+, deaf migrants, deafblind people, families of deaf children, children of deaf adults (CODA), and all other people using sign language to benefit from full and effective access to the community, including the Deaf Community and mainstream services through the use of sign language.