The Nordic Council of the Deaf is a non-partisan and non-religious association whose mission is to work and raise awareness of the linguistic and cultural interests of the

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

. It was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1907 and met irregularly until the 1950s. The organization changed its name to the Cooperation of the Nordic Associations of the Deaf in 1960, later becoming the Nordic Council of the Deaf in 1972. The council's members are the respective national associations of the deaf in the Nordic countries: * Denmark (

Danish Deaf Association The Danish Deaf Association ( Danish: , DDL) is a private advocacy group which works to ensure better living conditions for deaf people in Denmark. It campaigns for equality between deaf and hearing people in education, paid employment and acce ...

) * Faroe Islands * Finland () * Greenland * Iceland (Icelandic Association of the Deaf) * Norway ( Norwegian Association of the Deaf) * Sweden () The council meets twice a year. Two representatives from each country attend the meetings. Member countries take turns holding the presidency for four years. Every four years, a cultural festival is organized and the host country is changed. A key issue for the council is to work for equality and participation of the Nordic deaf in society, which can be realized when sign language has a strong position in society. The organization views different national sign languages, which have been used for hundreds of years in the region, as an irreplaceable part of Nordic linguistic diversity. The Nordic Deaf Youth Council is its sister organization.

References

{{authority control Deafness organizations Nordic organizations Deaf culture in Denmark Deaf culture in Finland Deaf culture in Iceland Deaf culture in Norway Deaf culture in Sweden

See also

References