Recognition of sign language under international law: A case study of Dutch sign language in the Netherlands

Abstract

Dutch Sign Language is a standardized language used by deaf and non-deaf people in the Netherlands. The government supports and promotes Dutch Sign Language, but it has not been recognized as an official language in the Netherlands, which is very much desired by the deaf community in the Netherlands. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the Netherlands in 2016, gave a new impetus to the supporters of recognition of Dutch Sign Language, and the same year a bill was proposed by two members of the lower house of the Dutch Parliament. National sign languages have been officially recognized by other European states, but the Netherlands holds that a formal recognition of Dutch Sign Language is not necessary. Therefore, a closer examination of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities might shed some light on the question of the recognition of a national sign language.