All the publications from 2026 - 2028 are co-funded by and produced under the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission’s CERV Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Home Other Nearly Universal Recognition, Still No Right to Use: EUD Submits to OHCHR CRPD20 Study
Nearly Universal Recognition, Still No Right to Use: EUD Submits to OHCHR CRPD20 Study
EUD has submitted its input to the OHCHR’s thematic study on the 20th anniversary of the CRPD. Our submission shows that while national sign language recognition is now nearly universal across Europe, this has not translated into the right actually to use these languages with public authorities. The EU itself is the starkest example, with 29 existing NSLs but no official status as EU official languages. Drawing on the CRPD Committee’s 2025 Concluding Observations and Petition 1056/2016, we call on OHCHR to recognise officialisation, not recognition, as the next steps towards ensuring sign language rights within the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
All the publications from 2026 - 2028 are co-funded by and produced under the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission’s CERV Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Share this article...
Related Articles
New Position Paper: Deaf Communities and Minority Rights at the EU Level
Dear friends and colleagues, We are proud to share EUD’s new position paper, Deaf Communities
Roundtable Discussion on the Support for Deaf Refugees from Ukraine
EUD & WFD Seminar Recently, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with
WEBINAR: Empowering Deaf Citizens: A Productive Webinar on Achieving Deaf Rights via the EU Semester Framework
The European Union of the Deaf (EUD) organised a highly informative and productive webinar on
Towards Barrier-Free Europe
Towards Barrier-Free Europe. European Disability Card. On June 30, the event was hosted by MEP