Slovenia adopts an act recognising the language of deafblind persons

The National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia reached a historic milestone in disability rights by unanimously adopting the Act on the Use of the Language of Deafblind Persons. 

In 2021, Slovenia became the first country in the world to recognise the language of deafblind persons at constitutional level. The unanimous adoption of this Act now provides the legal framework necessary to implement these constitutional language rights in practice.

This act is unique in Europe. It is the first stand-alone legislation to recognise the language of deafblind persons and to formally acknowledge deafblindness as an independent disability, not merely a combination of deafness and blindness. 

For more than 20years, the deafblind community in Slovenia has emphasised that deafblindness is a complex and specific disability requiring specialised communication approaches and professional support. 

The Act is the result of sustained efforts by deafblind persons, experts, families, and volunteers, all working together within the Association of Deafblind Persons of Slovenia DLAN. It sends a clear message: people who communicate in the language of deafblind persons have the right to understand the world and to be understood by it.