International Day of Sign Languages 2026: All You Need to Know
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There are over 70 million deaf people worldwide, with more than 80% living in developing countries. What’s more, congenital deafness is the most common birth defect, affecting 3 in every 1,000 babies. This requires many people worldwide to learn sign language in order to communicate with the world around them. So, we had to ask: What is the most important information you need to know about this year’s International Day of Sign Languages?
👉 Official Name: International Day of Sign Languages
💚 Cause: Recognise the importance of sign languages and communication around the world
📅 Next Date: September 23, 2026
🌐 Official Website: https://www.un.org/en/observances/sign-languages-day
🐦 Hashtag: #InternationalDayofSignLanguages
Keep reading to find out all the important information about the International Day of Sign Languages at a glance: its big picture, why it’s important, and how you can get involved. We’ll then share its brief history, three interesting facts about it, its future dates, and how you’ll never miss any important awareness event again.
The Most Important Information About International Day of Sign Languages at a Glance
1️⃣ The big picture: International Day of Sign Languages is an annual event that promotes the linguistic diversity of Deaf communities around the world. This Day is an opportunity to advocate for early access to sign language and services in national sign languages, including quality education available in sign language, for the growth and development of the deaf individual. This event also encourages hearing individuals to learn and interact with sign languages and the Deaf community for better social understanding and cohesion worldwide.
2️⃣ Why it is important: Currently there is no cure for hearing loss and treatment options are limited to hearing aids and cochlear implants. So, whether inborn or acquired, deafness requires people to learn sign languages to communicate with others. For example, in the US, out of the 4 million infants born each year, 2 in 1,000 are born deaf or with detectable hearing loss. Also, 90% of them are born to hearing parents who are not familiar with Deaf culture or American Sign Language (ASL). In addition, 75% of these children are sent to hearing schools rather than schools for the Deaf. As a result, they can experience systemic linguistic neglect and not have the opportunity to learn ASL.
3️⃣ How you can get involved: From learning a sign language yourself to supporting linguistic education for deaf youth, there are many great ways to support International Day of Sign Languages:
- Learn: Use this day as an opportunity to commit to learning the official sign language of your country. If you are from the US, you can try online courses or local, in-person classes for American Sign Language, including free courses with certificates.
- Advance the learning of others: Use this Day to raise awareness of the importance of sign languages via social media to encourage others to learn this special way of communicating. In addition, you can donate to dedicated educational institutions that help deaf youth learn using the national sign language.
- Advocate: Deaf people often face social exclusion and misunderstandings because not enough non-deaf people know their national sign language. Advocate in your community or with policymakers to normalize and increase access to sign language classes or introduce it in high school clubs.
Below are our favorite charities that are relevant to the International Day of Sign Languages:
A Brief History of International Day of Sign Languages
When was this event established: International Day of Sign Languages was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2017 to raise awareness of the importance of the sign-system and serve the human rights of deaf people. It was first celebrated in 2018 as part of the International Week of the Deaf, founded in 1958. The proposal for the Day came from the World Federation of the Deaf, representing 135 national associations of deaf people, to commemorate the date it was established in 1951 (September 23).
How has it developed since then: Since its founding, the International Day of Sign Languages has evolved into a global movement of Deaf unity and advocacy to raise awareness of the issues deaf people face in their everyday lives. For example, during this event in 2023, the World Federation of the Deaf advocated with governments to ensure at least 50% of their youth know their national sign language.
3 Interesting Facts About International Day of Sign Languages
- Sign Language Rights: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes and promotes the use of sign languages as equal in status to spoken languages, obligating governments to facilitate the learning of sign language and promote the linguistic identity of the Deaf community. This is because sign languages are fully-fledged natural languages, structurally distinct from spoken ones.
- Advancing the Arts: Deaf linguist and American Sign Language (ASL) poet Clayton Valli was the first person to identify ASL poetry as a literary genre. Valli’s poetry used handshape and facial expressions, as well as hand movement and repetition to convey the meaning of his works. Many of his poems used the theme of nature to communicate about the deaf experience.
- The Beginnings: In the 18th century, Charles-Michel de l’Épée published the most influential alphabet for sign language. Based on this, in 1755, he founded the first school for deaf children in Paris. Laurent Clerc, arguably its most famous graduate, went to the United States with Thomas Gallaudet to found the American School for the Deaf in Connecticut, in 1817.
Upcoming Dates of International Day of Sign Languages
International Day of Sign Languages is observed every year on September 23.
| Year | Date | Day(s) |
| 2024 | September 23 | Monday |
| 2025 | September 23 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | September 23 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | September 23 | Thursday |
Never Miss an Awareness Event Again
Sources
- UNESCO IESALC: International Day of Sign Languages – 23 September
- National Library of Medicine: Congenital Deafness and Recent Advances Towards Restoring Hearing Loss
- United Nations: International Day of Sign Languages 23 September
- Zero to Three: Striving for Language Equity: Early Intervention is Key for Language Acquisition in Deaf Children
- Advancing Change: Expanding Deaf Services and Advocacy
- AVA: How to Be an Advocate for Deaf Education
- Ballad Brief: Linguistic Neglect of Deaf Children in the United States
- Gallaudet University: Avoiding Linguistic Neglect of Deaf Children
- Undemy: Learn & Master Sign Language
- DeafandHoH.com: Sign Language Resources
- Forbes: 4 Free Online Sign Language Courses With Certificates
- Canva: International Day of Sign Languages Instagram post templates
- DeafandHoH.com: Schools for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Human Rights Watch: For the Deaf Community, Sign Language Equals Rights
- Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December 2017
- World Federation of the Deaf: home page
- National Association of the Deaf: International Week of the Deaf
- World Federation of the Deaf: International Day of Sign Languages 2023
- United Nations: Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities (CRPD)
- AI Media: Famous Deaf People: 14 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People Who Changed the World
- Lifeprint: American Sign Language Poetry: “Hearts and Hands”
- Wikipedia: Charles-Michel de l’Épée
- Wikipedia: sign language
- Wikipedia: American School for the Deaf
