3) Why, according to you, the Italian government has not yet recognized the LIS as a full-formed natural language, even though there have been proves that has its own syntactic structure and local dialects as any other oral language?
An opinion unfortunately still widespread is that the knowledge of the LIS, or simply the use of spontaneous gesture’s forms, could hinder less or more seriously, the learning and use of written and oral language. However, researches on the topic have proved that this theory is groundless.
For instance, a recent study published on Nature, demonstrated that sign language learning does not tamper negatively with oral language learning, but on the contrary, could help it effectively because it makes linguistic understanding’s processes easier. Reinforcing the idea that sign languages could be used to educational purposes in parallel with oral languages.
At the present time, the bilingual educational model has already been adopted in many European countries such as Denmark, France, Spain and Sweden, and some non-European countries (United States, Canada and Latin America).
In Italy, bilingual education is provided by law number 104/93, which allows deaf children’s families to ask for a communication assistant who knows LIS. At university, is the student himself who can request the LIS interpreter, if deemed necessary. Further, the fulfilment of a better proficiency in written and oral language, with respect to the past, is now possible thanks to new prosthesis and cochlear implant. Since many children, through this devices, are able to hear and learn to speak better and better, is groundless the fear that the LIS would weaken Italian language.
A best access to the oral language, indeed, favours a more balanced bilingualism, where the two languages cohabit, allowing the child or the deaf person to chose freely which language to use depending on the context and the social and communicative needs. Where does the tendency to favour the opposition among different communicative forms that are not alternatives come from? Maybe from the difficulty in accepting that a sensorial deficit, as the deafness, could create an alternative communicative world different from the hearing persons’ one.
Knowing a different language means expressing one’ own diversity through this language, acceding to identification processes which have more in common with socio-cultural dimension than with the deficit. Is it so difficult to accept that exist means of expression that give voice to diversity without homologating it? Each and every language is a vital tool in order to recognize others as persons. Do we think that this identity demand has not the right of citizenship in our society?
4) Which amendments there have been between the previous document approved by the Senate and the new revised text approved by the Social Affairs Commission on July 26?
The text in the attachment, prepared by ANIOS President Marcello Cardarelli, highlights the amendments to the original proposal (additions, replacements and cuts) done by the Social Affairs Commission. This law proposal is still on discussion at the Chamber of Deputies.
(The answers were collected in a written form)
On the inside: