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SIGN LANGUAGE STATUS BY STATE Australia Auslan was recognised by the Australian Government as a "community language other than English" and the preferred language of the Deaf community in policy statements in 1987 and 1991. This recognition does not ensure any provision of services in Auslan, but use of Auslan in Deaf education and provision of Auslan/English interpreters is becoming more common. Belgium The Parliament of French-speaking Belgium recognised LSFB (French-Belgian Sign Language) in a decree of October 2003 . The majority parties of the Flemish Parliament have agreed on 17 February 2006 to recognise the Flemish Sign Language (VGT). This recognition entails a cultural (symbolical) recognition, [2 the foundation of a commission that will advise the Flemish government in all matters related to VGT and [3] the structural funding of research and development of VGT. The final vote will be held in a plenary session of the Flemish Parliament on 26 April 2006. This recognition is a consequence of the most successful petition ever in Flanders . Brazil A 2002 law recognizes Brazilian Sign Language in the area of education. It determines that every Deaf child has the right to learn in its language and to have Portuguese as a second language. As Of 2005 , he law is in the process of being implemented (or "regulamentalized"). Czech Republic Czech Sign Language gained legal recognition as a human language with the passage of the Sign Language Law 155/1998 Sb ("Zákon o znakové řeči 155/1998 Sb") - see the legislation here (in Czech language). European Union The European Parliament unanimously approved a resolution about Deaf Sign Languages on June 17 1988 (available online here ). The resolution asks all member countries for recognition of their national sign languages as official languages of the Deaf. Finland Finnish Sign Language is recognised by law. Iceland Icelandic Sign Language has been recognised by law in education but not yet been recognised as deaf people's first language. There was a deaf member of Parliament who campaigned on this issue but so far without success. India There is no official recognition of Indian Sign Language . Northern Ireland In Northern Ireland, both British Sign Language (which may be understood to include Northern Ireland Sign Language ) and Irish Sign Language were recognised as official languages by the Northern Ireland Office , but they don't yet have the same status as the county's two official minority languages, Irish and Ulster-Scots . Kenya There is no legal recognition as yet, but the latest draft of the Kenyan constitution is currently ( As Of 2005 ) considering the inclusion of Kenyan Sign Language (see the KNAD report on the proposal). The Netherlands The Sign Language Of The Netherlands has not been recognised officially by law. There is some public funding for sign language projects. Spain The Autonomous Communities of Catalonia , Andalusia , and Valencia grants the use of signed languages for deaf persons. In Catalonia there is officially recognized the Catalan Sign Language (LSC) since 1994 year, and a regional Law grants the presence of LSC in all scopes where depends on the Catalan Government, such in education or medias. In similar case it's in Andalusia, at the moment, the only one Spanish region wich Spanish Sign Language (LSE) is officially recognized. In the other hand, since few years Valencia has very few legal suport to deaf persons throught using a Sign Language, but their new Statute of Autonomy (2006) grants the right of Valencian deaf people to use Valencian Sign Language (LSCV), altough officially there is no explicit mention about wich SL it's referring. Catalonia and Andalusia also will include the grant of using SL in their respective Statutes. Finally, Galicia will approve a Law about Signed Language. In the rest of Spanish regions there are no official recognision, and the support to deaf persons in SL is minnimum or limited only to budget support in interpreters of SL. New Zealand The Office For Disability Issues developed a '' New Zealand Sign Language Bill'' to "provide official recognition of Deaf people’s language as a unique New Zealand language and give it status equal to that of spoken languages. This work also includes looking at provisions for New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) interpreters in legal proceedings, and on access to language in education, health, employment and public broadcasting." This would make NZSL the third official language of New Zealand alongside Māori and English . The bill passed its second reading in parliament 119 to 2 on February 23 2006 . It became law on April 6 . Norway Norwegian Sign Language is recognised by law in education. Slovak Republic Slovak Sign Language was recognized in 1995 by law: "Zákon o posunkovej reči nepočujúcich osob 149/1995 Sb" - the Law of the Sign Language of the Deaf 149/1995. United States of America Many individual states have laws recognising American Sign Language as a "foreign language" for educational purposes. SOURCES
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