Everyone deserves to have their voices heard!

Language is essentially a medium of communication. It is a tool by which we can express our feelings to the world. But, some people suffer from deafness or have impaired hearing and they should not be sheltered from communicating with the rest of their peers.

Just because, a portion of the population cannot hear or speak, does not mean that their form of communication should not advance along with the rest of the world. Sign language is how the hearing impaired: express their feelings, contribute to a conversation, learn, and overall live their lives as normal as possible.

Everyone deserves to have their voice heard, no matter the circumstances. Sign language is a two-way street. The deaf community needs to know it, along with everyone else around them. They must live in a world that they feel can hear them, and support them in all walks of life.

These individuals are at risk for social isolation, stigmatisation, loss of independence, poorer literacy and academic outcomes, underemployment, and overrepresentation in the justice system. This makes sign language education a question of justice; the normalisation of sign language education and use would benefit marginalised groups.

This language of gestures should be offered as either an elective, or language course. The importance of sign language is gaining momentum, many high schools, colleges, and universities are introducing sign language classes into their course catalogues. Even many public figures are coming forward for this Nobel cause for equity.

World’s biggest boy band BTS recently released “Permission To Dance,” and the world praised the members for celebrating diversity.

In particular, they were lauded for using their platform to incorporate both Korean (KSL) and international (ASL) sign language into their choreography.

Leader RM talked about adding sign language to the choreography in his live broadcast. Aside from in “Permission To Dance,” the BTS members also used sign language on other occasions.

 V, for example, showed off his expertise several times in the past, one of them being during the class of 2020.