Associations as Homes for the Deaf

The deaf organised early. The first association of the deaf was founded in Turku in 1886, and the national central organisation Finnish Association of the Deaf was established in 1905. Albert Tallroth, a pioneer of association activities, gave the community a motto: “Instead of waiting for the hearing to come to our aid, we deaf people must help ourselves.”

During the years, the various associations have advocated for the rights of deaf people in Finnish society. In the fundamental rights reform of 1995, the rights of sign language users were written into law, and the Sign Language Act followed roughly twenty years later. The Finnish Association of the Deaf has been an active member of the World Federation of the Deaf, and Finnish deaf people have held several important positions within the organisation.
In 2016, the Finnish Association of the Deaf proposed an investigation into the historical injustices committed against the deaf people and sign community in Finland. The process was kicked off with the project Viitotut muistot (‘signed memories’), which made visible the gruesome human rights violations that the community and its members had faced. The preparations for the truth and reconciliation process in cooperation between the Finnish government and the deaf and sign language community are still ongoing.