In South Africa, parliament approves constitutional amendment that adds sign language as twelfth official language

The National Assembly of Parliament has approved the amendment of Section 6 of the Constitution to include South African Sign Language (SASL) as an official language to promote the rights of persons who are deaf and hard of hearing. The adoption of this constitutional amendment on May 2 will bring to 12 the number of official languages in South Africa, once the President signs the Bill into law, Parliament said in a statement this week. "Primarily, the amendment seeks to advance the cultural acceptance of SASL, the deaf culture; ensure the realisation of the rights of persons who are deaf and hard of hearing to equal protection and benefit of the law and human dignity; and promote inclusive and substantive equality and prevent or eliminate unfair discrimination on the ground of disability, as guaranteed by Section 9 of the Constitution." The amendment was adopted without opposition in the National Assembly.
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