Let's get this straight first: disabilities should not leave a person disadvantaged. Rather, societal practices must be modified to facilitate people with disabilities, whether they be mental or physical.

One specific group of people with disabilities, those whose hearing is impaired, are frequently excluded from daily activities. Unable to join in conversations, they feel isolated, voiceless, and socially ostracised. All this may result in depression and stress. This is where the importance of sign language comes in.

Sign language is basically a visual and manual communication system used by the deaf. Sign language is not universal, as people from different countries use different gestures to communicate; there are 300 distinct sign languages. According to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are 72 million hearing-impaired individuals, and among them, 80 percent live in developing countries.

To increase public awareness of the value of sign language to ensure the rights of the hearing-impaired, the UN General Assembly observes September 23 as the International Day of Sign Languages and the last week of September as International Week of the Deaf. In Bangladesh, February 7 is observed as Bangla Sign Language Day. These occasions offer a special chance to support and preserve the cultural diversity and linguistic uniqueness of all sign language users.

Bangla Sign Language is legally recognised by Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act, 2013. Since 2009, BTV has been using Bangla sign language after official orders. Since then, only two channels have had sign language interpreters.

Clearly, this is not enough, and all this leads to one question: why should we know sign language? The answer is, to empower the deaf community. To reach this goal, the government along with NGOs can open district-based community clubs where people with hearing impairment and other communities can meet and exchange thoughts. A sign language instructor will be there to teach sign languages. Such an initiative will also facilitate job opportunities for the hearing-impaired community. All this will help them and their families, and people in general, communicate with each other effectively, create awareness and disrupt stereotypes.

Raiyana Ahammed is a student at Jagannath University.