The National Assembly of Slovenia endorsed a proposal to assign Slovenian sign language as an official in the constitution. The government stated that in order for the Slovenian deaf and hearing-impaired community to fully exercise their basic human rights, Slovenian sign language should be an official language.
The proposal was put forth by the Association of the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired, which believes that the proposal would help the sign language community in terms of employment and education.
Labour Minister Ksenija Klampfer was in agreement with the decision, stating, “Communication and language as well as the right to use their use are essential for social inclusion and implementation of basic human rights. Without communication an individual cannot fully participate in society,” according to Total Slovenia News.
If Slovenia passes the proposal, they will join the four EU countries Austria, Hungary, Finland, and Portugal, which have given their sign languages the status of official language.
