INCLUSIVE CONTEXTS: THE RECOGNITION OF SIGN LANGUAGE AS A RIGHT OF PEOPLE WITH FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY

Sign language is the natural language of deaf people. Therefore it is their greatest cultural asset. However, similar to other minority languages, sign language has been discriminated, even being denied its recognition as formal language. This linguistic marginalization has meant a communicative barrier for deaf communities. Sign languages have been excluded in their own societies, even going have forbidden this way of communication in public spaces. Objectives: Analyze the legal status of sign languages in different countries and the legal form that supports them in access to education. Methodology: in this paper we carry out a review of the current state of sign languages from both the normolegal as well as the social and educational perspective. Likewise, we analyze the effects that the different conceptual and ideologies approach towards the sign language, and the models of action that these entail, have provoked in the social development of the deaf communities. Results and discussion: there has been a great advance in the legal recognition of sign languages in most countries, but legally recognized rights do not achieve a full exercise or guarantees of access to education on equal opportunities.