Montenegro urged to adopt sign language law

The Union of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Montenegro is calling for the immediate adoption of a Law on the Use of Sign Language. During a regional conference on sign languages in the Western Balkans, advocates emphasized that sign language is a natural mother tongue for deaf individuals and should be treated as equal to spoken languages.

Tribor Ilić, a member of the coordinating body of the Union of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing from Serbia, highlighted the importance of such legislation. He noted that in Serbia, the existing law allows for free interpreter services across various sectors. Key demands include the right for deaf children to have pedagogical assistants with sign language skills in primary school and access to interpreters in higher education.

Advocates also proposed that sign language be taught at philological or philosophical faculties and that deaf individuals should be empowered to become lecturers through proper training. Furthermore, they suggested that different government departments should share the responsibility for financing interpreters rather than relying on a single ministry.