BELGIUM: What sign languages are used in Belgium?

This article can help you answer the following questions:

• How many Deaf / Hard of Hearing people are in Belgium?

• What sign languages are used in Belgium?

• How do you say Belgium in sign language?

• Where can I learn Belgian Sign Language online?

• What Deaf organizations are located in Belgium?

• What additional sign language resources are there for Belgium?

Learn Belgian Sign Language (FBSL) online

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Where is Belgium?

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How many Deaf / Hard of Hearing people are in Belgium?

There are an estimated 379,500 Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Belgium.

This percentage is a rough estimation: 3.3% of the general population. Lack of research make estimating these numbers difficult. The World Health Organization estimates 5% of the world population has significant hearing loss. Keep in mind that developing nations typically have a much higher number of Deaf and Hard of Hearing populations.

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What sign languages are used in Belgium?

• Belgian Sign Language

  • North Belgian Sign Language

  • South Belgian Sign Language

• Vlaamse Gebarentaal (VGT)

  • Flemish Sign Language

• Langue des Signes de Belgique Francophone (LSFB) or French Belgian Sign Language

• Deutsche Gebärdensprache (DGS) or German Sign Language

• Van Beek (Signed Dutch/Flemish, Vlamisch met Gebaren)

  • Artificial system not sign language

• Signed French [Belgian] (le Français Signé)

  • Artificial system not sign language

Written / spoken languages in Belgium:

• Bahrani Arabic

• Balochi

• Persian

• Urdu

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How do you say Belgium in sign language?

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Where can I learn Belgian Sign Language online?

InterSign University offers online French Belgian Sign Language (FBSL) courses! Register here:

• Mini Class: https://intersign-university.thinkific.com/courses/LSFB-mini

• Big Course: https://intersign-university.thinkific.com/courses/LSFB-course

InterSign University offers many international sign language courses. Check them out here:

https://intersign-university.thinkific.com/

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What Deaf organizations are located in Belgium?

Belgian Federation of Flemish Deaf Organisation

Flemish: info@fevlado.be

French: infos@fsb.be

Description: Both its Flemish website and its French website has links to more deaf-related resources in Belgium and internationally. Consult the list of associations; the list of Flemish links; and the list of French links.

Centre Comprendre et Parler

brcharli@ulb.ac.be

Description: Centre Comprendre et Parler provides resources for cued speech (Langage Parle complete [LPC]) in Belgium.

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Additional sign language resources for Belgium

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish_Sign_Language

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Belgian_Sign_Language

We will update this section as more information becomes available.