Delta Air Lines has announced that in-flight crew members uniforms will now indicate whether or not know they know a signed language, in addition to Spanish and Russian.
With many members in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, this news is extremely encouraging for passengers with a disability.
Per his personal LinkedIn page, Delta’s CEO Ed Bastain released the news via video chat.
“Our mission is to connect the world, which starts with making travel easier for all people,” Bastian wrote in the post, adding: “It’s a small step on our journey, but a powerful change as we seek to make the world a smaller, more inclusive place.”
Delta is not the only brand that has made efforts to outreach to the deaf community. A Starbucks located in Washington, DC, opened an American Sign Language location in 2018 down the street from the world’s only liberal arts university for the deaf and hard of hearing, Gallaudet University.
Chris Soukup, CEO of Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) recently spoke with CNN Travel and shared his thoughts on Delta Air Line’s new sign language option.
“We are heartened that it’s becoming more clear to the world that the hundreds of sign languages we have deserve recognition as does any other language.”
“We still have much work to do in combating biases and misperceptions against deaf and hard of hearing people, who they are, and what they’re capable of achieving, and this move by Delta puts them on the right side of that history.”
First celebrated in 2018, the United Nations has designated September 23 to be the International Day of Sign Languages to help raise awareness of sign language and the human rights of those who are deaf.
5% of the global population suffers from a level of hearing loss, which is about 466 million people worldwide. An estimated 300 signed languages are said to be around the world.
