The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) in the United States stands in solidarity with the Italian deaf and hard of hearing community and the Ente Nazionale per la protezione e l’assistenza dei Sordi (ENS, the Italian National Association of the Deaf) to support full recognition of the native sign language of Italy, Lingua dei Segni Italiana (LIS). The Italian Parliament originally planned to recognize LIS as an official and full-fledged language but now is planning to characterize it as a sub-language of mimes and gestures.
This classification is not only offensive but also has social, educational, and political implications that are detrimental and harmful to the deaf and hard of hearing community of Italy. This classification also violates the spirit and letter of the United Nations Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) which mandates that all countries will recognize their respective native sign language(s) as official languages deserving protection and promotion among the deaf and hard of hearing citizens of the country.
The NAD urges everyone throughout the world to support the deaf and hard of hearing community in Italy for the recognition of LIS as their official language, and not to diminish it in any way. Every country in the world should recognize the native sign language of its deaf and hard of hearing citizens.
NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins, who is coincidentally in Italy for other plans, will join the three-day protest from May 25-27 2011 held by the ENS in Rome. For further information, please check the ENS website at http://www.ens.it/ and their vlog about the protest at http://www.ens.it/articolo.asp?ID=4109.