The push to recognize Rwandan Sign Language

Today, September 23, 2026 the team at DRF is joining the celebrations of International Day of Sign Languages, an awareness day declared by the UN General Assembly in 2017.

The World Federation of the Deaf estimates that there are more than 70 million Deaf people worldwide belong to signing Deaf communities. Yet only 84 countries have officially recognized a national sign language, which means well over half have not.

To mark the day, we’re highlighting the Rwanda National Union of the Deaf (RNUD), which DRF first funded in 2013. RNUD has won a series of advocacy wins on the road to the official recognition of Rwandan Sign Language.

Building support for recognition

Over the years, RNUD has led a coalition that built public and stakeholder support through a range of activities:

Accessible election advocacy with the National Electoral Commission in 2017
The 2018 ‘Sign Your Name’ campaign, which saw 36 public figures learning to sign their name in Rwandan Sign Language
A 2019 awareness-raising song that drew international coverage.

This sustained, targeted work opened institutional doors. The Ministry of Local Government requested a position paper on the legal recognition of Rwandan Sign Language to which RNUD submitted a response. At the CRPD Committee review in March 2019, the Rwandan delegation confirmed it was considering both recognition of the language and approval of a sign language dictionary, a project which RNUD was consulting on.

COVID-19: A catalyst for strengthening government relationships

When COVID-19 struck in early 2020, RNUD like all Deaf communities around the world, found accessible health information was almost non-existent. RNUD stepped up as the leading Deaf-led organization and worked directly with the Ministry of Health to interpret official messaging. Together they produced 30 short videos covering health and safety guidelines and government announcements issued in response to the virus.

The impact went beyond immediate access. RNUD built a lasting working relationship with the Ministry and changed how officials understood Deaf people’s needs. Rather than lapsing when the emergency ended, the collaboration and the production of materials continued into the recovery-phase of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In RNUD’s words:

“COVID-19 pandemic weakened the whole world, and in particular Deaf people in Rwanda suffered a lot due to lack of access to information. As a result of our endless advocacy, the Government of Rwanda provided Sign Language Interpretation services to the local televisions so that Deaf persons are also able to access the information related to the spread of the virus, prevention measures and other SOP guidelines.”

The first Rwandan Sign Language Dictionary – a decade of advocacy pays off

Several men in suits clapping and smiling while a man in a white t-shirt holds up the Rwandan Sign Language Dictionary which is wrapped in a colourful bow

Former Rwandan Minister of Local Government presenting the Rwandan Sign Language Dictionary

Once the emergency of the pandemic eased, RNUD returned its attention to the dictionary which was finalized, officially launched and disseminated in 2022. Further milestones followed, completing an effort that RNUD began more than ten years earlier:

Provincial dissemination workshops for national decision makers in 2023
A Cabinet briefing
Television programming
A memo to the national police to train officers in sign language
Engagement with the education ministry and curriculum authorities.

As we celebrate International Day of Sign Languages, there is much to be proud of in the movement for recognition of Rwandan Sign Language. Advocacy continues to gain momentum in 2026 toward its official recognition as a national language. A validated, government-approved dictionary key on the way to that recognition, because a shared, agreed dictionary is what will let Rwandan Sign Language thrive in schools, courts, health facilities, and broadcasting. Every step toward that goal brings us closer to a Rwanda where the Deaf community is fully included.

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