2.4.4. Regulatory framework

The enactment of Royal Decree 696/1995 significantly impacted the Spanish education system in the 1990s. Article 8, sections 6 and 7, establishes that the educational administration shall promote the recognition and study of sign language and facilitate its use in schools with deaf students. It also promotes the incorporation of deaf adults into the education system. This decree became the precedent for a paradigm shift in deaf education from a public policy perspective (Alcina Madueño, 2021).

Other fundamental regulatory instruments include:

  • The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (United Nations, 2006), which specifically mentions sign language or deaf culture in several articles (2, 9, 21, 24, and 30). Article 24 is particularly relevant, it highlights the importance of facilitating sign language learning and promoting the linguistic identity of deaf persons. Also noteworthy are General Comment No. 4 (2016) on the right to inclusive education and General Comment No. 6 (2018) on equality and non-discrimination.
  • Organic Law 2/2006 of May 3 on Education (LOE), amended by Organic Law 3/2020 of December 29 (LOMLOE), especially articles 71 (principles), 73, and 74 (scope and schooling). Article 50 bis of the LOMLOE allows educational administrations to incorporate Spanish sign languages into their offerings to strengthen inclusion. Under this law, several royal decrees were approved with explicit references to sign languages: Royal Decree 95/2022 (Early Childhood Education); Royal Decree 157/2022 (Primary Education); Royal Decree 217/2022(Compulsory Secondary Education); and Royal Decree 243/2022 (Baccalaureate).
  • Law 27/2007 of October 23, especially articles 7, 8, and 10.a, as well as Royal Decree 674/2023, which expressly recognizes the linguistic rights of deaf and deafblind persons to know and use Spanish sign language (LSE) and to receive instruction in this language.

For a more detailed analysis of bilingual education implementation in Spain, consult the Report on Bilingual Education in Sign Language and Oral Language for Deaf Students: Basic Conditions (Gómez Monterde & Bao-Fente, 2024), published by the CNLSE.

Aroca-Fernández, E. (2025). Socio-historical background: Sign language community: Deaf education: Regulatory framework. In S. Villameriel García (Ed.), Gramática de la Lengua de Signos Española (GramLSE) / Grammar of Spanish Sign Language (GramLSE). Real Patronato sobre Discapacidad-Centro de Normalización Lingüística de la Lengua de Signos Española. Retrieved Month DD, YYYY, from https://cnlse.es/es/recursos/gramlse/ingles/index/socio-historical-background/sign-language-community/2-4-deaf-education/2-4-4-regulatory-framework