On the occasion of the 2024 International Day of Sign Languages and the International Week of the Deaf People, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) hosted a global event centered around the theme for this year’s commemorations: “Sign Up to Sign Language Rights.” The online event, led by IRAP’s Director for Disability and Accessibility, Elham Youssefian, provided a strong platform to celebrate the rights of deaf individuals, including those who are displaced, to access sign languages and emphasized the crucial role this access plays in ensuring their paths to safety. Roughly 170 individuals registered for the event with 80 people watching the event live including refugees, people with disabilities, disability rights and refugee rights advocates, academics and other groups.
As part of its ongoing commitment to promoting accessibility and inclusion, IRAP launched a new Disability and Accessibility Program in 2024. Under this initiative, Youssefian aims to ensure that refugees and immigrants with disabilities have equitable access to justice, resources, and safety. The event not only highlighted IRAP’s new program but also brought together key voices from the deaf community and disability advocacy, with four out of five of our speakers being deaf themselves. Their presentations shed light on the challenges deaf refugees face and offered invaluable insights on what we can do together to dismantle barriers.
Opening Remarks by Pamela Molina
The event opened with a keynote speech from Pamela Molina, Executive Director of the World Federation of the Deaf, who set the stage by discussing the intersectional identities of deaf people: they are not only part of the disability movement but also a linguistic and cultural group. Her remarks emphasized that the ability to communicate through sign language is not just a form of self-expression, but a fundamental human right—critical for accessing services, legal protections, and safety.
She concluded that it is necessary to extend the full legal recognition of sign languages as an obligation by 193 member States of the United Nations, and to ensure that such recognition encompasses the individual and collective dimensions of the rights of deaf people. Until now, only 78 countries recognize sign languages as a formal language.
You can access Molina’s presentation here.
Testimony from Caroline Atim: Overcoming Multiple Barriers
Next, Caroline Atim, Director of the South Sudan Women with Disabilities Network, discussed numerous challenges faced by displaced deaf people including communication barriers, discrimination, violence, and lack of access to essential services. She particularly highlighted intersectional barriers ahead of deaf women fleeing the conflict, highlighting lack of awareness among different stakeholders regarding deaf people and their requirements.
Supporting Deaf Refugees in the U.S.: Deaf Refugee Advocacy’s Work
Diana Pryntz, Executive Director of Deaf Refugee Advocacy in Rochester, New York, then took the stage to share the work her organization is doing to support deaf refugees as they navigate the U.S. immigration system. Deaf Refugee Advocacy provides critical services such as sign language interpretation, legal assistance, and access to education and healthcare for deaf refugees, filling gaps where traditional services may not be equipped to meet the needs of this population.
Pryntz’s presentation illustrated how essential it is for advocacy organizations to partner with legal professionals, government agencies, and refugee resettlement services. She discussed some of the success stories her organization has been a part of, while also highlighting areas where more work is needed to ensure that all deaf refugees in the U.S. can fully integrate into society.
Please click here to access Pryntz’s presentation.
Disability Rights and Refugee Law: Insights from Professor Quinn
Professor Gerard Quinn, a leading voice in disability rights and one of the founding figures behind the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), offered a deep dive into the legal intersections of refugee law and disability rights. As a former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Professor Quinn discussed how refugee law and disability law converge, emphasizing that states are legally obligated to provide reasonable accommodations for deaf refugees, including access to sign language interpreters and other communication aids throughout the asylum process. Professor Quinn also highlighted the need for greater accountability from governments and international organizations in fulfilling these legal obligations, pointing to gaps in existing systems and frameworks that often leave deaf refugees without the necessary tools to navigate complex legal procedures.
You can read through Professor Quinn’s presentation here.
Legal Gaps and Opportunities: Alison Ecker on Accessing Sign Language in Legal Systems
To address the critical issue of legal access, Alison Ecker, a deaf lawyer and board member of the United States Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association, discussed the current status of sign language access within the U.S. justice and immigration systems. With firsthand experience navigating these systems, Ecker shed light on the legal gaps that prevent deaf refugees and immigrants from fully accessing their rights.
Her discussion covered the legal obligations of governments to provide interpreters during immigration and asylum hearings, as well as the barriers that still exist when it comes to securing such services.
You can read through Ecker’s presentation here.
A Call to Action: Closing Remarks
The event concluded with a powerful act: Amy Taylor, IRAP’s Vice President for Program and Strategy, joined the 2024 Global Leaders Challenge of the International Week of the Deaf People, signing the sentence: “A world where deaf people everywhere can sign anywhere!” Her closing message captured the essence of the event’s discussions, reminding all attendees of the global responsibility to uphold and promote sign language rights, especially for those in the most vulnerable situations. Lastly, Taylor also reminded everyone that “IRAP’s goal and mission is also to ensure that people with disabilities, in particular those from underrepresented groups, can equally enjoy the services and support that IRAP provides as a refugee-serving organization.”
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Watch the recording of the online event on Youtube.
Please note that, due to technical challenges, both American Sign Language and International Sign interpretations provided during the event were not recorded.