2021: Italy, Legal Recognition Italian Sign Language
On May 19, 2021, Italy officially recognized LIS (Italian Sign Language).
May 19, 2021, is a historic day: Italy bridged the serious delay that had led it to be the last of the countries in Europe not to have recognized its own national sign language.
After a decades-long struggle, disappointed hopes, battles in all locations, awareness campaigns, sit-ins, petitions, conferences, projects and massive street demonstrations and after this so complicated period, which has done nothing but bare and amplify the discrimination that deaf people experience every day, we have finally reached this very important result, a sign of civilization and an achievement not only for deaf people, but for all of Italy.