The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) will join the global community in observing International Day of Sign Languages (23 September). The national commemoration will be held on 22 September 2026, in collaboration with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), and the Wits Centre for the Deaf at the University of Witwatersrand in Parktown, Johannesburg. This year’s celebration will be observed under the theme “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights”.
As declared by UNESCO, the day is aimed and highlighting the importance of sign languages in achieving the full realization of the human rights of people who are deaf, while also promoting the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity. This observation follows a month-long Deaf Awareness campaign carried out throughout the country to raise awareness about South African Sign Language (SASL) as a language with its own distinct grammatical structures and lexicon that is independent of any other language.
The observation will focus on the unique challenges the Deaf community faces in accessing quality information, services, and advocating for implementation plans of various government departments to ensure that SASL is incorporated into their language policies and language practices within their public communication. All government departments are required to ensure that the South African Sign Language Charter, launched in 2020, remains a living document through its continuous implementation and drive for the inclusion of Deaf stakeholders.
Since the constitutional recognition of SASL as South Africa’s 12th official language, PanSALB has continued to support its practical implementation through awareness and capacity-building programmes. These include basic SASL workshops for frontline service workers and for parents, siblings and families of Deaf children; the verification and authentication of SASL signs and dictionary vocabulary in consultation with diverse Deaf stakeholders; and ongoing advocacy during Deaf Awareness Month. Plans to establish a dedicated SASL National Lexicography Unit are also underway. These initiatives are intended to ensure that the official recognition of SASL results in meaningful access to information, public services and full participation in society for Deaf people.
The SASL Charter places obligations through its pledges to not only improve access to quality information but also to ensure effective protection of the Deaf community’s linguistic rights in an equitable manner.
