Liam O’Dell: Why 2018 was the year of sign language

A variety of different issues and discussions can be found within Deaf culture and the deaf community, so much so that it can be hard to compartmentalise a year’s worth of progress into one particular summary. Yet for me, there’s one aspect of Deaf culture which stood out in 2018: sign language.

First and foremost, 2018 was the year that The Silent Child rose to prominence, winning an Oscar and rightfully raising awareness of the importance of sign language and communication in education. Fast forward a few months later, and the Government showed a new sense of openness towards a GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL).

The Silent Child’s success was just one of the many pieces of media representation surrounding sign language over the year. Films A Quiet Place and The Shape of Water (albeit about a ‘mute’ woman, not a deaf person) also featured an extensive amount of American Sign Language (ASL), while on TV, deaf actress Lauren Ridloff has been casted in hit zombie series The Walking Dead.

Away from the silver screen, it was also in 2019 that the first International Day of Sign Languages took place. Set up by the United Nations, it was a brilliant initiative which shone a light on the many sign languages used around the world, and their importance.

In specific countries, Filipino Sign Language was recognised as “the national sign language of the Filipino deaf” and the government’s official sign language. New Zealand’s government also took a step forward and announced a new strategy for their country’s sign language, with priorities including learning, access and its status. In Canada, individuals rallied for its country’s sign languages to be recognised as national languages.

While some positive progress has been made in 2018, we must also remember that in countries such as Italy and India, their sign languages are yet to be officially recognised. As we look ahead to 2019, we must all join in a global effort to call for all sign languages to receive official status, as with that comes new rights and freedoms for deaf communities around the world.

Here in the UK, we must continue the momentum and attention around sign language and push for the government to grant BSL legal status. This is at the same time as pushing for more accessible services.

While it is impossible for me to forecast what the future holds for the deaf community, last year has already shown the creative and campaigning power of deaf people – and it’s clear that it has no signs of stopping in 2019.

Photo by Ollie Cole.

Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and blogger from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and makes the occasional video about deaf awareness on his YouTube channel. He can also be found talking about disability, politics, theatre, books and music on his Twitter, or on his blog, The Life of a Thinker.