The International Day of Sign Languages is observed on 23 September to stress the recognition, protection and promotion of the human rights of deaf people through national sign languages. The 2026 theme is "Declaring Deaf People's Human Rights". The year marks the 75th anniversary of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and 20 years of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Over 70 million deaf people worldwide use more than 300 sign languages. The day was first celebrated in 2018 during the International Week of the Deaf.