16:13 - 5.02.2025

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February 5, Fineko/abc.az. The concept of "sign language" is being introduced into the legislation of Azerbaijan.

ABC.AZ reports that this is reflected in the amendment to the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, discussed at today's meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Labor and Social Policy.

According to the draft, "sign language" is the language in which people with complete hearing impairment express their thoughts through gestures.

The new Article 12-1 proposed to the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines the procedure for ensuring access to information for persons with disabilities.

Under the draft, the State guarantees the right of persons with disabilities to access information. Azerbaijani sign language is officially recognized as the language of communication for people with complete hearing loss when using the official language of the Republic of Azerbaijan orally.

Nationwide terrestrial television broadcasters, funded from the state budget and also having the status of public broadcasters, provide their prime-time information programs with translations into Azerbaijani sign language.

The translation into Azerbaijani sign language is carried out by persons with appropriate education and qualifications. The State encourages the creation of subtitles for audiovisual works.