The International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL)
International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is celebrated annually on 23 September. The day is observed to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf.
History
The proposal for the Day came from the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), a federation of 135 national associations of deaf people. The date of 23 September was chosen because it commemorates the date that the WFD was established in 1951. The day was first celebrated in 2018 as part of the International Week of the Deaf.
In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/72/161) declaring 23 September as the International Day of Sign Languages. The resolution was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, co-sponsored by 97 United Nations Member States and adopted by consensus on 19 December 2017.