Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan’s government has announced plans to study the recognition of sign language, following the example of several foreign countries.
The study will also include manual alphabets.
"International practice shows that in countries such as the United Kingdom, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Austria, Spain, Sweden, and South Africa, sign language is officially recognized. In the future, with the support of Kazakhstan’s foreign missions, international experience in the official recognition of sign languages and manual alphabets will be studied," the government said in response to a parliamentary inquiry.
The next step will be to work toward the recognition of Kazakh sign language and the Kazakh manual alphabet.
It was noted that in 2007, the public foundation Umit – a center supporting people with hearing impairments – developed a thematic sign language dictionary for people with hearing loss in Kazakh, Russian, and English. The dictionary is called “Әлем қол қимылдарында,” which translates as “The World in Sign Language.”
The Kazakh manual alphabet was first published in 1998 and used in Әліппе (“Alippe”) – a textbook for preparatory classes in schools for children with hearing impairments, approved by the Ministries of Education, Culture, and Healthcare.
Previously, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that patrol police officers in Kazakhstan are being trained in sign language.