The Generalitat has approved its first comprehensive Strategy for Catalan Sign Language (LSC) 2026–2028, setting out 45 measures and an initial 2026 budget of €2,014,584.97.

For deaf and deafblind LSC signers, the plan includes proposed video-based LSC access to the 112 emergency number, a strengthened 061 Salut Respon health advice service, and interpreter support for sixth-form and vocational education students. The strategy was presented on Tuesday, 28 July, at Palau Marc in Barcelona.

The [Department of Language Policy](https://govern.cat/salapremsa/notes-premsa/763948/politica-linguistica-presenta-linies-estrategiques-lsc-al-consell-social-llengua-signes-catalana) says the programme is intended as a structured government-wide policy, with accessibility criteria concerning signers' language rights to be incorporated into all departments' accessibility plans.

“We do not want this to be an end point. We want it to be a starting point,” said Francesc Xavier Vila, the Catalan government’s Minister for Language Policy.

Emergency, health and public-service access

The 2026–2028 strategy provides for two complementary routes to contact 112 in LSC: video interpretation with call handlers and the SVisual platform. It also proposes reinforcing LSC assistance through 061 Salut Respon.

  • Public-sector staff will receive specific training on supporting deaf signers.
  • Healthcare professionals will be included in awareness-raising work.
  • Government departments must consider LSC signers' language rights when preparing accessibility plans.

The measures follow Law 17/2010 on Catalan Sign Language, passed 16 years earlier. Vila described the strategy as the largest investment yet made in LSC.

Interpreter support for post-compulsory students

In education, the Generalitat plans interpreter-support programmes for LSC-signing students in Batxillerat, the post-16 sixth-form qualification, and vocational training. It will also expand bilingual sign-language education outside Barcelona, update primary and secondary curricula, and develop an official system for assessing and certifying LSC knowledge.

Esther Viñas, president of the Federació de Persones Sordes de Catalunya, the federation of deaf people in Catalonia, welcomed the strategy but said the community had waited 16 years for it. She said access barriers remained in health services and bilingual education.

The programme also includes support for adult LSC courses, particularly for families with deaf or deafblind children, and measures to strengthen audiovisual content and interpretation at events and training sessions.

Primary sources: govern.cat, Llengua catalana. Reported by Carlota Camps, Marta Gutiérrez, Redacció/Fonts, Textos Legislatius, 118, collector.com.tr, VilaWeb, catalannews.com, observatoriodalingua.gal, Racó Català.