Italian Sign Language Recognized as Cultural Heritage

On May 19, 2021, the Italian Republic officially recognized, promoted, and protected Italian Sign Language (LIS) and Tactile Italian Sign Language (LIST) through the conversion of the Sostegni Decree into law. The law, approved by both the Chamber and Senate, includes Article 34-ter which acknowledges LIS and LIST, and recognizes LIS and LIST interpreters as translation and interpreting professionals. Public administrations are required to promote interpretation services in LIS and LIST, subtitling, and other accessibility measures. The National Deaf Association (ENS) hailed this as a historic day after decades of advocacy. The Bergamo-based network The Blank, through its educational branch The Blank Educational, has been working alongside the deaf community with the LISten Project, which aims to make contemporary art and cultural programming accessible to deaf audiences. The project collaborates with educational services of museums including Accademia Carrara, GAMeC, MAMbo, and Pirelli HangarBicocca, with consultation from Carlo di Biase and Ilaria Galbusera. LISten Project focuses on developing accessible and inclusive design methodologies and facilitating job placement for deaf youth in the cultural sector. In 2020, the project created the first accessible audio-video guides in LIS and the social video series #iolosegnocosì and #tucomelosegni to compensate for pandemic-related interaction limitations and to expand accessibility.