We are very pleased and proud to announce that on 27 May 2021, at the session of the National Assembly the proposal of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia to amend Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia with the entry of Slovenian Sign Language, sign languages of the Hungarian and Italian national minorities and the language of the deafblind was approved.
Slovenia has thus become the first country in the world to include the language of the deafblind in its constitution. This happened at the initiative of the Expert Group of the Constitutional Commission of the National Assembly for the entry of sign language in the Constitution of which the secretary of the DLAN Association, dr. Simona Gerenčer was member. With this important gesture, Slovenia recognized deafblindness at the national level as an independent disability and people with deafblindness as an independent group of people with disabilities with their own community, culture and language. We expect that, based on the entry of the language of the deafblind in the constitution, a law will be adopted that will give people with deafblindness fundamental rights and enable their emancipation.
On the occasion of this historic event, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, hosted people with deafblindness in the Presidential Palace.
People with deafblindness thanked the President for all the support he shows them. They presented their path from the beginning of the language of the deafblind, when their first community was formed with the establishment of the DLAN Association in 2005, through efforts for its development and recognition to today’s historic event – confirmation of the language of the deafblind in the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia. The President was also kindly invited to continue his support in efforts to preserve the independence of the organization of people with deafblindness and to adopt a law in the field of deafblindness.
On the same day we enjoyed the publication of The World in the Palm of Your Hand: Language of the Deafblind, which describes the language of the deafblind – the language based on touch – and its path.
On this occasion we sincerely thank all the decision makers who listened to people with deafblindness in the process of entering the language of the deafblind in the Constitution or Republic of Slovenia. Special thanks to the supporters of the language of the deafblind, red. prof. dr. Marko Stabej, governor of Rotary club dr. Iztok Seljak, governor of Association of Lions Clubs mag. Danilo Tomšič and the president of Rotary Club Ljubljana – Barje mr. Boris Podbevšek.
We thank all of you who have supported us in any way in our efforts. Thank you!
