Deaf Awareness Month Ignites Sign Language Rights

Zimbabwe marks Deaf Awareness Month under the theme “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights” (image source)

Zimbabwe has joined the global observance of Deaf Awareness Month under the banner “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights,” as disability groups intensify calls for full inclusion and legal recognition of Zimbabwe Sign Language (ZSL) across public services. The month-long campaign, led by the Federation of Organisations of Disabled People in Zimbabwe (FODPZ) and its partners, aims to transform constitutional guarantees into everyday access.

The campaign launched September 23 with a statement from FODPZ and the African Disability Forum, urging Harare to fast-track the Persons with Disabilities Bill and explicitly mandate sign language interpretation in healthcare, education, and justice sectors.

“Deaf inclusion is not optional; it is a constitutional, moral, and human rights imperative,” said Leonard Marange, National Director of FODPZ. “We call on Government and city authorities to fund sign language services and ensure access without barriers.”

Despite Zimbabwe’s 2013 constitutional recognition of ZSL, Deaf citizens face persistent exclusion. Clinics, schools, and courts routinely operate without qualified interpreters, leaving patients and students reliant on untrained assistants or family members. The Rights in Action (RIA) project, funded by Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports that fewer than 50 accredited interpreters serve over 90,000 Deaf Zimbabweans.

Advocates are pressing for:

• Fast-tracking the Persons with Disabilities Bill with clear ZSL provisions.

• Domestication of the African Disability Protocol into national law.

• Harmonization of disability statutes with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

• A dedicated budget line for sign language interpretation services.

• Creation of a Sign Language Authority and curriculum within the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
  

Deaf Awareness Month resonates beyond Zimbabwe. Globally, September marks International Day of Sign Languages, part of Deaf Umbrella’s “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights” campaign, highlighting the link between language access and equality. In neighbouring South Africa, the recognition of South African Sign Language as an official language in 2023 has generated lessons on interpreter accreditation and public-sector implementation.

Since 2013, Zimbabwe’s National Disability Policy (2021) promised inclusive education and healthcare, but implementation has lagged. NGOs report that less than 20% of public hospitals have budgeted for interpretation services, and emergency broadcasts lack captioning. Meanwhile, rural districts remain entirely unserved.

Disability organisations are set to meet with the Ministry of Justice and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health this October to demand a clear legislative timetable. They will also deploy community monitors to track compliance at pilot schools and clinics in Harare, Bulawayo, and Mutare.

Questions remain over the Government’s capacity to allocate dedicated funding and whether the Persons with Disabilities Bill will pass before Parliament’s year-end recess. For Zimbabwe’s Deaf community, concrete action this month could determine whether constitutional promises finally translate into everyday rights.