Cyprus Deaf Federation
Ομοσπονδία Κωφών Κύπρου | |
| Abbreviation | CDF; Ο.Κ.Κ. (O.K.K.) |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2004 |
| Founded at | Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Legal status | Federation |
| Purpose | Promotion of the rights of deaf people in Cyprus and of Cypriot Sign Language |
| Headquarters | 4 Neas Engomis Street, Engomi, Nicosia |
| Location |
|
Members | c. 1,000 |
President | Despina Ioannou |
| Affiliations |
|
The Cyprus Deaf Federation (Ομοσπονδία Κωφών Κύπρου; abbreviated CDF or Ο.Κ.Κ.) is the national federation of deaf people in Cyprus. It was established in 2004 and is based in Nicosia, where it represents and coordinates the work of the country's local clubs and associations of deaf people, and promotes the use of Cypriot Sign Language.[1][2]
History
The Cyprus Deaf Federation was founded in 2004 with its seat in Nicosia. [1] It became a full member of the European Union of the Deaf (EUD) in 2005, and is also a member of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and of the Cyprus Confederation of Organisations of the Disabled (KYSOA).[2][1]
The federation is the most recent stage in a longer process of organising deaf people on the island that began with the establishment of the first School for the Deaf in Nicosia in 1953 by educator Georgios Markou, working with the Rotary Club of Nicosia, the Municipality of Nicosia and the then Office of Education. [3] The federation was preceded by several local clubs, the Athletic Union of the Deaf (AEK, founded in 1966), the Limassol Deaf Club (1995), the Cyprus Athletic Federation of the Deaf (KAOK, 1997) and the Larnaca Deaf Club (2001).[1]
Organisation
The federation is based at 4 Neas Engomis Street, P.O. Box 27775, Engomi, 2433 Nicosia. [1] According to the European Union of the Deaf, as of the 2020s its president is Despina Ioannou, with vice-president Christodolous Christodolou and board members Eirini Kyriakou, Nektaria Adjimbei, Neophytos Vasiliou and Savvas Kazatzis. [2] An earlier report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Committee by the Pancyprian Alliance for Disability listed Marinos Constantinou as president of the Cyprus Deaf Federation.[4]
The federation comprises around 1,000 deaf members from across Cyprus. [1] Its constituent member organisations include the Pancyprian Organisation of the Deaf, the Limassol Deaf Club and the Larnaca Deaf Club, all of which are also members of the Cyprus Athletic Federation of the Deaf.[1]
Activities
Cypriot Sign Language
The federation is the national authority that promotes the use and standardisation of Cypriot Sign Language (Κυπριακή Νοηματική Γλώσσα, ΚΝΓ), which according to the European Union of the Deaf is used by approximately 1,000 signers in Cyprus, served by around 25 working sign-language interpreters. [2] Sign-language interpreters working in education must be recognised by the federation; for example, the School for the Deaf - Georgios Markou employs two Cypriot Sign Language interpreters who are accredited by the federation in order to facilitate communication between deaf pupils and their teachers.[1]
Disability advocacy
The Cyprus Deaf Federation is a member of the Pancyprian Alliance for Disability, an umbrella body of 27 disability organisations representing people with disabilities and their families in Cyprus. [4] Through the alliance, the federation participated in the preparation of the Strategic Action Plan for Disability 2018–2020, which was submitted in April 2018 as a response to the Cypriot government's National Disability Action Plan, and in alternative reporting to the United Nations on the implementation of human-rights treaties in Cyprus. [4] Cyprus signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol on 30 March 2007, ratifying both on 27 June 2011.[2]
See also
- Cypriot Sign Language
- European Union of the Deaf
- World Federation of the Deaf
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "ΣΩΜΑΤΕΙΑ ΚΩΦΩΝ" (in Ελληνικά). Σχολή Κωφών - Γεώργιος Μάρκου. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Cyprus". European Union of the Deaf. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ "Μετονομασία Σχολής Κωφών σε Σχολή Κωφών-Γεώργιος Μάρκου". Paideia News (in Ελληνικά). Retrieved 27 April 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Pancyprian Alliance for Disability: Joint Submission to the Human Rights Committee on Cyprus" (PDF). Centre for Civil and Political Rights. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
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