When silence has a language
On International Day of Sign Languages, deaf people in Bangladesh continue to face barriers to education, healthcare, employment and public information despite legal recognition of Bangla Sign Language.
Picture this: It is an ordinary morning, and you are standing at a crowded bus stop, watching people talk around you.
Someone is asking the driver a question. Two passengers are arguing over a seat. A woman is laughing at something her friend has said. Phones are ringing, horns are blaring, and everything moves in a blur.
Everyone seems to know what is happening, everyone except you.
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You catch a few words from a stranger's moving lips, but not enough to understand. You take out your phone and type: "Sorry, could you please write it down?"
They look at you, sigh and walk away.
And just like that, an ordinary conversation becomes a wall you have to figure out how to climb.
For a deaf person or someone who communicates primarily through sign language, this is not an unusual experience.
A doctor may explain a diagnosis verbally. A public office may announce instructions over a loudspeaker. A teacher may deliver an entire lesson through speech. A television channel may broadcast breaking news without a sign language interpreter.
What are routine interactions for most people can become barriers to information, healthcare, education and basic services for deaf people.
This communication gap is at the heart of this year's International Day of Sign Languages, observed on 23 September.
The 2026 theme, "Declaring Deaf People's Human Rights", calls for deaf people's human rights to become a reality in all areas of life, with full access through national sign languages at its core. The day is part of the International Week of Deaf People, observed from 21 to 27 September.
For Bangladesh's deaf community, the question is not simply whether sign language is recognised. It is whether people can use it to access education, healthcare, employment, justice and public information on equal terms.
A language of its own
Sign languages are fully developed natural languages, with their own grammar, structures and vocabulary. The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) says more than 70 million deaf people worldwide use more than 300 different sign languages, with more than 80% of deaf people living in developing countries.
Bangla Sign Language has developed as the principal sign language used by deaf communities in Bangladesh.
But recognition of a language does not necessarily mean that everyone who needs it can access it.
Have you ever tried to see the world from a deaf person's perspective?
Shomudro was born deaf.
His parents had never met a deaf person and knew no sign language. So, when he was a child, they improvised.
A tap on the belly meant food. A palm against the cheek meant sleep.
For a toddler, that was enough.
Then he grew up.
He wanted to know why the rooster crowed before dawn, where his father went every morning and why his mother cried after a particular phone call.
His parents had the answers. But they had no shared language through which to give them to him.
The nearest school for deaf children was far from home.
Yet he went to school.
He sat in the third row and watched his teacher's back. Chalk moved across the board, as did the teacher's lips, but neither meant anything to him. He copied letters the way someone might copy a drawing — shape by shape, with no sound attached.
When the teacher called his name, he did not respond. She thought he was being rude.
Shomudro is not a real person. His story is a composite representation of the experiences that many deaf people may face when communication and support are unavailable from childhood.
And the barriers do not necessarily disappear in institutions designed to serve deaf people.
A national Bangla sign language dictionary was published in 1994, while UNDP Bangladesh has since supported an open digital dictionary. But having resources available does not guarantee that they reach every classroom or community.
Healthcare presents another challenge.
At a clinic, a deaf patient may be asked to describe symptoms, explain how long they have been experiencing them or understand a diagnosis — all through spoken communication.
Without a sign language interpreter or another accessible form of communication, even a routine medical consultation can become difficult.
According to Sharmin Ahmed, chairperson of the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Dhaka, accessibility should extend beyond professional and clinical settings. Sign language interpretation and other forms of communication support are also needed in educational institutions, administrative services and public offices.
"Intervention is necessary not only in professional settings but also in education and administrative activities. Students with communication disabilities can face significant difficulties when institutions do not provide adequate support," she said.
She also highlighted the shortage of qualified sign language interpreters in Bangladesh, particularly in educational institutions. Although government programmes and digitalisation initiatives are increasingly incorporating accessibility measures, students may continue to face barriers without adequate institutional support.
There needs to be greater awareness and interest in learning sign language among the general population. The government and educational institutions should increase opportunities for people to learn sign language and expand the availability of qualified interpreters.
"In Bangladesh, both American and British sign language influences can be observed, while the use of sign language is also increasingly being incorporated into digital communication initiatives," she said.
Sharmin noted that recent technological developments have created new opportunities to make communication more accessible. Projects undertaken by the ICT Division, universities and private organisations have explored technologies that can convert sign language into text or speech and vice versa.
Such innovations could help people with communication disabilities access education, healthcare, public services and other aspects of everyday life more easily.
Recognition on paper, barriers in practice
Bangladesh has taken legal steps towards recognising the rights of sign language users.
The Rights and Protection of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2013 recognises the right of people with hearing and speech disabilities to use Bangla Sign Language as their first language to the greatest extent possible. The law was gazetted in October 2013.
But legal recognition is only the beginning.
Jowaherul Islam Mamun, mentor at SWID Bangladesh, said, "Sign language is essential for sign language users and people with speech and hearing impairments. However, in Bangladesh, there is no government-approved sign language institute or centre. Organisations such as the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), Society of the Deaf & Sign Language Users (SDSL) and Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf (Jatiya Bodhir Sangstha) are offering sign language courses, but there is no government-recognised institution providing these services at the state level."
Our appeal and demand is that the government establish a recognised sign language institute or centre, either at the university level, under Bangla Academy, the International Mother Language Institute or in any other appropriate form. We need a government-approved and recognised sign language institute to ensure reliable and standardised services for people with speech and hearing impairments.
The Society of the Deaf and Sign Language Users (SDSL), a deaf-led organisation in Bangladesh, has long advocated greater institutionalisation and accessibility of Bangla Sign Language. According to the organisation, sign language users continue to face gaps in accessing essential services, including education, healthcare and employment.
So the question remains: does recognition on paper automatically remove barriers in daily life?
The answer, for many deaf people, is no.
Education remains a major barrier
Education is among the most consequential challenges.
The United Nations says early access to sign language and quality education in sign language are vital to the development of deaf children. Its resolution establishing the International Day of Sign Languages also emphasises working with deaf communities themselves.
For deaf children, education is also a question of language.
Without early access to an accessible language, children can face difficulties in learning, social development and eventually entering the workforce.
Organisations working with deaf children in Bangladesh have highlighted the need for trained teachers, appropriate learning materials and accessible education.
The challenges can become more pronounced outside major cities, where specialised services are often harder to access.
A national survey on hearing impairment in Bangladesh conducted in 2013 found disabling hearing loss among 9.6% of the surveyed population, with prevalence substantially higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
The survey is more than a decade old, however, and should not be treated as a current national estimate.
Healthcare without a common language
For many deaf patients, describing symptoms, understanding a diagnosis or following medical instructions may require an interpreter or another accessible form of communication.
Without that support, patients may not receive healthcare information on equal terms.
The World Health Organization says unaddressed hearing loss can affect communication, education, employment and social participation. It estimates that by 2050 nearly 2.5 billion people will have some degree of hearing loss, while more than 700 million will require hearing rehabilitation.
Nearly 80% of people with disabling hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries, making accessibility and early intervention particularly important in countries such as Bangladesh.
But accessibility is not limited to hospitals and classrooms.
When information itself becomes inaccessible
In an increasingly digital society, information is delivered through television, social media, websites and other digital platforms.
News. Emergency announcements. Public health messages. Government services.
Information cannot truly be accessible if a section of the population cannot understand it.
Bangladesh has made some progress.
In 2024, Sesame Workshop reported adding sign language to 13 episodes of Sisimpur in partnership with SDSL, describing it as the first children's content show in Bangladesh to include sign language in its programming.
But isolated initiatives cannot replace systematic accessibility.
For sign language users, meaningful access can require qualified interpreters in hospitals and courts, sign language-based educational materials, accessible government communication, captioning and regular sign language interpretation in news and other public broadcasts.
Beyond hearing loss
There is also an important distinction between deafness and hearing loss.
The WHO defines hearing loss as reduced ability to hear compared with people with normal hearing. It can affect one or both ears. People who are hard of hearing may communicate through spoken language and may benefit from hearing aids, cochlear implants, captioning and other assistive technologies.
Deaf people, particularly those with profound hearing loss, may use sign language as their primary means of communication.
That means deafness cannot be understood only through a medical lens.
For many people, sign language is also language, identity and a connection to a community.
The WFD describes national sign languages as central to the inclusion and human rights of deaf people. The UN similarly recognises sign languages as fully developed natural languages and says they are fundamental to the full enjoyment of human rights by deaf people.
Bangladesh has organisations working towards that inclusion.
The Bangladesh National Federation of the Deaf, established in 1963, describes itself as the country's oldest organisation of persons with disabilities and works on education, training and skills development for deaf people.
What would change the story?
The changes needed are not necessarily complicated, but they require consistency.
Parents of deaf children need access to sign language from the earliest stages of a child's life. Teachers working with deaf students need to be fluent in Bangla Sign Language. Educational materials need to be accessible. Healthcare providers and public institutions need reliable interpretation services.
Government and non-government organisations need to work alongside deaf people themselves when designing policies and services.
Most importantly, deaf people need to be treated not simply as recipients of assistance, but as people with a language, culture and rights.
The UN resolution establishing the International Day of Sign Languages specifically emphasises the importance of working with deaf communities — the principle of "nothing about us without us".
The day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2017 following a proposal from the WFD. The date, 23 September, marks the establishment of the WFD in 1951. In 2026, the organisation marks its 75th anniversary.
This year also marks 20 years since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has provided an important international framework for disability rights and recognition of sign languages.
For Bangladesh, the challenge is therefore not simply recognising Bangla Sign Language. It is making that recognition meaningful in everyday life.
A deaf person should not need a family member to interpret a doctor's instructions. A student should not have to depend on classmates to understand a lesson. A citizen should not miss critical public information simply because it is delivered only through sound. A world without sound does not have to be a world without communication.
For millions of deaf people, the language already exists.
The question is whether the rest of society is willing to learn how to listen.
