Legislative moves promote sign language accessibility in Argentina and Mexico

Legislative efforts to improve accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community are advancing in both Argentina and Mexico.

In the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Executive approved Law 15.632 to promote the use of Argentine Sign Language (LSA). The law aims to ensure full social participation and inclusion for deaf individuals by removing communication barriers. It mandates the appointment of an authority to design initiatives that facilitate LSA access and coordinate with legislative and judicial branches to integrate the language into public policies and educational curricula.

In Tlaxcala, Mexico, Deputy Gabriela Hernández Islas has proposed the Accessible Communication Law for the State of Tlaxcala. The initiative seeks to guarantee that people with visual and hearing disabilities have access to information issued by the three branches of government and other public entities. The proposal suggests that all public sessions and audiovisual communications must include simultaneous professional interpretation in Mexican Sign Language (LSM), alongside other tools such as subtitles, Braille, and audio descriptions to address structural inequalities.