Nordic Council of the Deaf

{{Short description|Nordic deaf advocacy organization}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Nordic Council of the Deaf

| formation = {{start date and age|1907}}

| abbreviation = DNR (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish), KPN (Finnish)

| founding_location = Copenhagen, Denmark

| type = Disability organization

| purpose = Deaf advocacy

| leader_name = Rotating; country holding the presidency changes every four years

| subsidiaries = Nordic Deaf Youth Council

}}

The Nordic Council of the Deaf is a non-partisan and non-religious association whose mission is to work and raise awareness of the linguistic and cultural interests of the deaf in the Nordic countries.{{Cite web|title=KPN 110 vuotta / DNR 110 år / NCD 110 years!|url=https://aineisto.viittomakielinenkirjasto.fi/kpn/?en|access-date=2021-09-10|website=aineisto.viittomakielinenkirjasto.fi|archive-date=2021-09-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910185424/https://aineisto.viittomakielinenkirjasto.fi/kpn/?en|url-status=live}} It was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1907 and met irregularly until the 1950s. The organization changed its name to the Cooperation of the Nordic Associations of the Deaf in 1960, later becoming the Nordic Council of the Deaf in 1972.

The council's members are the respective national associations of the deaf in the Nordic countries:

• Denmark (Danish Deaf Association)
• Faroe Islands
• Finland ({{Interlanguage link|Finnish Association of the Deaf|fi|Kuurojen Liitto}})
• Greenland
• Iceland (Icelandic Association of the Deaf)
• Norway (Norwegian Association of the Deaf)
• Sweden ({{Interlanguage link|Swedish National Association of the Deaf|sv|Sveriges Dövas Riksförbund}})

The council meets twice a year. Two representatives from each country attend the meetings. Member countries take turns holding the presidency for four years. Every four years, a cultural festival is organized and the host country is changed.{{Cite web|date=2016-08-01|title=Internasjonalt samarbeid|url=https://www.doveforbundet.no/om-oss/ndf/internasjonalt-samarbeid|access-date=2021-09-10|website=Norges Døveforbund|language=nb|archive-date=2021-09-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910185429/https://www.doveforbundet.no/om-oss/ndf/internasjonalt-samarbeid|url-status=live}}

A key issue for the council is to work for equality and participation of the Nordic deaf in society, which can be realized when sign language has a strong position in society.{{Cite web|title=Internationellt samarbete|url=https://kuurojenliitto.fi/sv/internationellt-samarbete/|access-date=2021-09-10|website=Finlands Dövas Förbund|language=sv-SE|archive-date=2021-09-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910185421/https://kuurojenliitto.fi/sv/internationellt-samarbete/|url-status=live}}{{Cite periodical|date=2007|title=Døves Nordiske Råd: 100 år|url=http://bgds.andata.no/bodyFrame/Budstikken/DT-2007-09.pdf|magazine=Døves Tidsskrift|language=no|volume=9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910181245/http://bgds.andata.no/bodyFrame/Budstikken/DT-2007-09.pdf|archive-date=2021-09-10}}

The organization views different national sign languages, which have been used for hundreds of years in the region, as an irreplaceable part of Nordic linguistic diversity.{{Cite web|title=Föreläsning av Kaisa Alanne|url=https://www.isof.se/download/18.41318b85148351909524db/1529494564114/Alanne.pdf|url-status=|access-date=2020-09-10}}{{deadlink|date=September 2023}}

The Nordic Deaf Youth Council is its sister organization.