FC Barcelona celebrates the International Week of Deaf People and International Sign Language Day

Next Wednesday 25 September, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is the venue for the 9pm CEST start against Getafe in La Liga, which will feature a very special event as part of FC Barcelona's 125th anniversary. The club is celebrating International Week of the Deaf, an annual event in the last week of September, and International Sign Language Day, which is on September 23.

There will be two key moments before kick-off. First, deaf children who are members of the club, as well as children from the Catalan Association of Families and People with Deafness (ACAPPS), will accompany the players onto the field.

And a choir of signers made up of members of the Barcelona Deaf Cultural and Recreational Centre (CERECUSOR) and the Barça Deaf Supporters’ Club, which are part of the Federation of Deaf People of Catalonia (FESOCA), will demonstrate to the crowd and watching world how to sign the Barça Anthem in sign language.

Social awareness and innovation at FC Barcelona, united in working for diversity, equity, and inclusion

To celebrate 50 years of the Barça Anthem, this year in sign language, the FC Barcelona Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department, together with the Barça Innovation Hub, has launched a teaser campaign and is calling on fans to participate.

Players from both the men’s and women’s football teams, including Jules Koundé, Marc Casadó, Sergi Domínguez, Jana Fernández, Marta Torrejón, and Ona Batlle, feature in a series of videos that have been shared this week on the club’s different channels. They are encouraging fans to follow the subtitles on the stadium's screen and sing "Barça, Barça, Barça!" loudly, while simultaneously raising their hands to make the signal that "everyone knows our sign."

Created by the Penya Barça del Centre Recreatiu i Cultural de Sords de Barcelona

The Barça Deaf Supporters’ Club of the Barcelona Deaf Cultural and Recreational Center created the word for "BARÇA" in sign language to identify and promote the team name to all sign language users. They have gifted it to FC Barcelona for its use and promotion.

This collaboration was made possible by the support of start-up Visualfy.

A club committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion

This is the latest of many actions by the DEI department arising from an agreement with ACAPPS, a non-governmental organisation that aims to represent and defend the rights of deaf people who communicate orally, ensuring their full participation and accessibility in all areas of life.

Other initiatives have included signing an agreement with the ONCE Social Group to promote accessibility at the future Spotify Camp Nou, introducing a new ticket purchasing service for wheelchair users, new adapted seats at the Palau Blaugrana, digital accessibility training for club staff, the Quiet Hours project at the Barça Immersive Tour and Barça Store at Spotify Camp Nou, as well as the introduction of inclusive mannequins tp Barça Stores.

Barça Innovation Hub and investment in start-ups like Visualfy that foster accessibility

This campaign has been supported by Visualfy, a start-up in which Barça Innovation Hub has invested as part of its new strategic direction. Thanks to this collaboration, the platform is now a shareholder in various emerging companies, promoting entrepreneurial talent and capturing the value of their growth.

Visualfy was founded in 2017 that provides solutions for deaf or hard-of-hearing people in environments, including homes, through Visualfy Home, or public spaces like the Barcelona Supporter Services Office, through Visualfy Places. Recognised as a success story by the United Nations and the recipient of awards from the World Tourism Organization, Visualfy holds patents for its services in over 40 countries worldwide

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