No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights

The International Week of the Deaf, which this year takes place on 22–28 September 2025, is an opportunity to recall that human rights are not to be taken for granted and that accessibility is one of the cornerstones of equality. The World Federation of the Deaf launched this tradition back in 1958, and today hundreds of organizations, schools, and cultural institutions around the globe participate. 

The motto of this year’s edition is “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights”. It is a call to action that stresses the necessity for deaf people to be able to use their language—sign language—in every sphere of life: from education and the workplace to culture and politics. Access to information, including interpreting and subtitling, remains insufficient, and the international campaign seeks to draw attention to this inequality. 

The One World Festival symbolically joins this week by emphasizing that access to culture is an integral part of human rights. For several years now, the festival has systematically provided accessibility for audiences with hearing disabilities through subtitling and interpreting into Czech Sign Language. These measures are not just a technical service but above all an affirmation that everyone should have the opportunity to share in the cinematic experience and take part in dialogue on the social issues the festival raises. 

The International Week of the Deaf is not only about acknowledging challenges. It is above all a celebration of the rich culture of deaf communities, which has its own literary, theatrical, and film traditions. It reminds us that silence can take many forms and that the diversity of languages—including visual ones—enriches society as a whole. 

Photo: Vaiva Bezhan