Government Launches ISL Infrastructure: New Courses, Digital Library & National Celebration for Sign Language Day
SDG 4: Quality Education | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institution: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
The Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLRTC), under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, is organizing a major event on 23 September 2025 in New Delhi to mark Sign Language Day. The United Nations–designated theme this year is “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights,” underscoring the link between language rights and inclusion for Deaf communities.
At the event, ISLRTC will roll out multiple flagship programs: a bi-annual newsletter for the Deaf community; postgraduate diploma courses for Indian Sign Language (ISL) teachers and interpreters; a six-month online ISL training programme; a vast repository of 3,189 ISL e-videos; integration of ISL in the Project Inclusion app; ISL versions of 18 National Book Trust titles; plus 100 STEM terms translated into ISL. The ceremony also includes award distribution for winners of the 8th National ISL Competition and performances by Deaf students in sign-language art forms.
These steps significantly strengthen the institutional, educational, and technological backbone for recognizing ISL as a viable medium for inclusion. By embedding ISL across curricula, digital platforms, and public access tools, the government is signaling an intent to close language access gaps for persons who are Deaf. Going ahead, scaling implementation across states, ensuring interpreter capacity, and sustained funding will be critical to convert these programmatic launches into systemically inclusive outcomes.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can state education systems, disability commissions, and NGOs align to roll out ISL infrastructure (courses, interpreters, content) equally across rural and urban areas?
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Celebration of “Sign Language Day – 2025”