Bavarian state parliament takes up historic sign language ban in schools for the first time: recognition yes, compensation still open

At an expert hearing in the Bavarian Landtag, the Bavarian Deaf Association (LVBYGL) presented accounts from more than 140 Deaf people who were barred from signing at school under oralist teaching dating back to an 1891 curriculum. MPs from all parties acknowledged the injustice, and LMU Munich's chair of hearing and communication, Prof. Laura Avemarie, recognised the suffering. The state government still says there was never a formal ban, and Bavaria's social welfare office keeps rejecting victims' compensation claims; Hamburg apologised in 2025. A December conference is the next test.