The Place of Sign Language as a Minority Language in the Universal Communicative Accessibility

Sign language is recognized as a linguistic right of hearing impaired people all over the world. Among its main characteristics as a minority language is the urgency of its preservation, since it guarantees the right to information and communication of the user community. In this sense, strategies such as style guides and guidelines for inclusive communication play a fundamental role in its use, dissemination and accessibility. From a hermeneutical perspective, this study analyzes 22 guides published in Spanish to identify the place of sign language as a minority language in inclusive communication. It was found that sign language is presented as one of the forms of expression of people with hearing disabilities and as a key tool in participation processes, which allows us to conclude that these guides contribute to its dissemination. The analysis allowed the configuration of a model of Universal Communicative Accessibility that, besides guaranteeing the preservation of alternative forms of communication for people with disabilities such as sign language, promotes the full participation of this population and self-inclusion.