Kuurojen

Kuurojen is the genitive plural form used in Finnish when referring to the group of people who are deaf. In everyday language, kuuro or kuurot describes a person who is deaf, while kuurojen is used to talk about the deaf community as a group, for example kuurojen oikeudet (the rights of the deaf).

The Deaf community in Finland forms a distinct linguistic and cultural group centered around Finnish Sign Language (Suomen viittomakieli, SVK). SVK functions as a primary means of communication for many deaf Finns and has its own grammar and vocabulary separate from spoken Finnish. The community maintains social networks, education, and cultural events that emphasize Deaf identity and sign language.

Organizations play a central role in Finnish Deaf life. The Kuurojen Liitto (Finnish Association of the Deaf) coordinates national activities, advocacy, and services, alongside regional associations. They work to improve access to education, healthcare, interpreting services, and media captioning, and to promote awareness of Deaf culture. Public institutions and services increasingly recognize the need to accommodate sign language users and provide interpreters and captions.

Education and accessibility are ongoing priorities. Finland supports sign language in education and offers interpreters and other accessibility services in public services. Public broadcasting provides captions, and efforts continue to reduce communication barriers for kuurot in daily life. Debates persist around the status of SVK, bilingual education, and broader representation of deaf people in media and public life.