National Spanish Sign Languages Day

The Spanish Council of Ministers agreed to set this date in 2014 in commemoration of the constitution, in 1936, of the State Confederation of Deaf People (Confederación Estatal de Personas Sordas), the main catalyst, along with its federations and associations, of those initiatives aimed at achieving the rights of users of Spanish sign languages.

The legal recognition of these languages has been, therefore, one of the major historical claims of the deaf community and its commemoration aims not only to share and promote their dissemination, but also to promote measures to normalize their use beyond the domestic, educational or social and health fields.

The greater the knowledge of these languages and their importance for many deaf and deafblind people, the easier it will be to adopt attitudes of tolerance and empathy among citizens. For this reason, the National Day of Spanish Sign Languages is an occasion to remember the fundamental role they play in the transmission of ideas, personal and social relationships and the exchange of knowledge.