Senator renews push to officially recognize Puerto Rican Sign Language
By THE STAR STAFF
Sen. Ángel A. Toledo López has introduced legislation for the third time seeking official recognition of Puerto Rican Sign Language (LSP) as the natural and culturally and linguistically legitimate language of Puerto Rico’s Deaf community.
Senate Bill 1463 would establish respect for linguistic rights as public policy, promote the preservation of regional variations of LSP and require the collection of data to help guide government policy and services for the Deaf community.
The bill was presented during an event featuring the work of Yarett E. Piñeiro Rodríguez, an educator, interpreter and advocate who has documented the history, culture, vocabulary and regional variations of sign language used in Puerto Rico.
The event highlighted the distinction between LSP and American Sign Language (ASL). Supporters of the measure describe LSP as a language with its own identity, structure and expressions developed within Puerto Rico’s Deaf community.
“Recognizing Puerto Rican Sign Language means recognizing the identity, culture and dignity of a community that for too long has had to demand access to information and services in its own language,” Toledo López said.
The legislation would recognize LSP as part of Puerto Rico’s cultural heritage and identity. It would also authorize the Office of the Liaison for the Deaf Community, within the Office of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities, to work with community organizations on studies, consultations and recommendations aimed at promoting, preserving and strengthening the language and its regional variations.
The bill would further require the Office of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities and the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics to conduct a census of the Deaf community. The study would collect information on the use of LSP and its regional variations, as well as access to public, educational and health services and opportunities for social participation.
Toledo López said the lack of official data limits the government’s ability to address barriers faced by Deaf residents. He cited the response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria as an example of the challenges created when emergency information is provided through ASL interpreters without accounting for linguistic and regional differences within Puerto Rico’s Deaf community.
“Accessibility is not achieved simply by placing any interpreter in front of a camera,” Toledo López said. “The information must be understandable to the people it is intended to reach, particularly when health and safety are at stake.”
Piñeiro Rodríguez’s book documents signs used in different regions of Puerto Rico, differences from ASL, and elements of the language’s history, culture, manual alphabet and vocabulary.
Toledo López said the legislation and the publication share the goal of ensuring that decisions concerning LSP include the direct participation of Deaf people and reflect their experiences.
“Legal recognition should help open doors, protect linguistic heritage and build public services that respond to the realities of the Deaf community,” he said.
Fernando L. Díaz Rivera, Puerto Rico’s Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities, attended the event.
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