World Day of the Deaf Date in the current year: September 29, 2024

The term “deaf” can have various definitions depending on the context. In a medical context, deafness is a degree of hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding speech, even in the presence of amplification. From the medical point of view, deafness is typically regarded as a disability.

In a cultural context, the term Deaf is usually capitalized and refers to a community of people whose primary language is sign language. The Deaf community doesn’t automatically include all those who are clinically or legally deaf, nor does it exclude all hearing people (for example, children of deaf adults with normal hearing ability who use sign language to communicate with their parents are typically viewed as part of the Deaf community). Many members of the Deaf community don’t consider deafness a disability; they view it as a difference in human experience.

In 1951, the Italian Deaf Association initiated the first World Deaf Congress that took place in Rome. During the congress, representatives from 25 countries established the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), an international NGO that unites national associations of the deaf and works to promote the rights of deaf individuals, with a focus on the Deaf community. Today, members of the WFD represent more than 130 countries across five continents.

The mission of the WFD is to achieve the realization of human rights for deaf people, including the recognition of sign languages in all aspects of life, working in partnership with the UN and its agencies, national associations of deaf people, and other stakeholders. The WFD works for the promotion of sign languages, access of deaf people to education, and an accessible society where information and services are available in sign languages.

The World Federation of the Deaf initiated the celebration of World Day of the Deaf in 1958. Since 2009, it has been part of International Week of the Deaf, which is observed during the last full of week of September. World Day of the Deaf typically falls close to, or even coincides with International Day of Sign Languages (September 23), established by the United Nations in 2017 to commemorate the establishment of the World Federation of the Deaf.

World Day of the Deaf was created to unite governments, national associations of deaf people, other NGOs, and all relevant stakeholders in the fight for the rights of deaf people, highlight the achievements of deaf people around the world, raise awareness of the challenges that deaf people have to face, and improve the status of national sign languages.

Even if you’re not deaf and don’t know anyone who is, you can still get involved with World Day of the Deaf by learning more about Deaf culture, signing up for a sign language class, or donating to an organization that supports deaf people and strives to improve their access to information, services, and education.