Abel speaking Brazilian Sign Language

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Brazilian Sign Language (BSL) is spoken by 200,000 people, primarily people who are deaf, in Brazil's cities. Also known as Líbras and Língua Brasileira de Sinais, BSL has been recognized by the government of Brazil since 2002, with laws mandating its use in education and government institutions. FENEIS, the Federação Nacional de Educação e Integração dos Surdos (National Federation of Deaf Education and Integration) is among the most prominent Deaf associations in Brazil. There are also regional organizations in Curitiba, Caxias do Sul, and Rio Grande do Sul. BSL may be a language isolate, meaning it is unrelated to other languages. By contrast, American Sign Language is related to French and Argentinian sign languages, among others. Portuguese and English translation: Me chamo Abel, esse é meu sinal. Nasci no Brasil, português é minha primeira língua. Aprendi libras há cerca de 8 anos e vi que muitas pessoas surdas têm dificuldades em relação a acessibilidade, o que as impede, muitas vezes, de conhecer e exercer seus direitos. Hoje sou advogado e tenho o desejo de contribuir com a comunidade surda em relação a questões sobre direito e acessibilidade. My name is Abel, this is my sign. I was born in Brazil and Portuguese is my first language. I learned Libras about 8 years ago and I noticed that many Deaf people have difficulties regarding accessibility, which often prevents them from knowing and exercising their rights. Today I am a lawyer and I intend to contribute to the Deaf community about issues of law and accessibility.

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