Austrian schools add sign language to curriculum

Starting this school year, Austrian upper secondary schools can offer Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) as a second modern foreign language, alongside options like French, Spanish, or Polish.

Students will be able to take a matriculation exam in ÖGS beginning in 2030. However, limited staffing means ÖGS will initially be available at only some schools. ÖGS received constitutional recognition in Austria in 2005, but schools have not previously taught it as a standard subject.

A United Nations committee recently criticised this lack of inclusion. Currently, there are few qualified teachers and limited teaching materials for children and young people. Beginning in the 2026/27 school year, students at upper secondary schools can choose ÖGS, described as a “visual-gestural language”, or other languages, including Latin and Greek, regardless of their hearing ability. The course will cover the language itself, as well as the culture and history of the ÖGS community.

University of Vienna researcher Verena Krausneker notes that while this is a positive step, it primarily benefits hearing students, as access to gymnasiums is already limited for deaf children. Access to ÖGS at primary and middle schools will be limited to students with diagnosed special educational needs related to hearing. Children of deaf parents whose family language is ÖGS are currently excluded, and even deaf children must have a demonstrated need for the course.

Krausneker believes the curriculum remains rooted in special education practices and that qualified teachers are scarce.