Deaf Culture Pioneer Ku Yu-shan Receives Ministry of Culture's Taiwan Sign Language Contribution Award

(Central News Agency, Taipei, 14th) The Ministry of Culture has announced the first recipient of the 'Taiwan Sign Language Contribution Award,' honoring Ku Yu-shan, a pioneer who has long been dedicated to constructing the cultural subjectivity of Taiwan Sign Language.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Culture, Ku Yu-shan, affectionately known as 'Papa Ku' in the deaf community, founded Taiwan's first sign language theater group, the 'Taipei Deaf Theatre,' in 1977 and served as its director. In 1978, he established the Republic of China Deaf Sign Language Research Association (the predecessor of the National Association of the Deaf in the Republic of China).

Ku Yu-shan lost his hearing due to an illness in his childhood. He once shared emotionally at the 'National Language Development Conference' that having grown up in a school for the deaf, it wasn't until he entered university that he was struck by the cultural value shock between deaf culture and the hearing society, which felt like being in a foreign country.

Ku Yu-shan stated that hearing people are accustomed to constructing the world with 'sound,' whereas deaf people 'tell stories' through body language, facial expressions, and spatial positioning. This keen awareness of cultural differences prompted him to dedicate himself to breaking down the negative labels associated with 'deafness' in hearing society, advocating that 'the deaf have their own historical position,' and hoping to outline the deepest dignity of the deaf community in a silent space-time.

The jury stated that Ku Yu-shan is a national treasure in Taiwan's sign language community. He has conducted long-term, in-depth research on the origins and grammatical structure of Taiwan Sign Language, traveled across the country to communicate with deaf people to promote the transmission of sign language, and has had a long-term and far-reaching influence on the development of Taiwan Sign Language. He has witnessed and promoted the key process of Taiwan Sign Language's development from its infancy.

The Ministry of Culture pointed out that with the promulgation of the 'National Languages Development Act' in 2019, Taiwan Sign Language was officially listed as a national language, gaining a legal status equal to the natural languages used by Taiwan's various indigenous ethnic groups. Starting this year, the 'Taiwan Sign Language Contribution Award' was established to recognize the important contributions of the deaf community in passing on life values and transmitting cultural identity, honoring pioneers like Ku Yu-shan who have strived tirelessly. It also aims to overturn the stereotype of 'deafness as a physical defect' and let the public see the vitality of 'visual language.'

The Ministry of Culture will hold the '3rd National Language Development Conference 2026' at the Tainan National Museum of Fine Arts on June 13 and 14, and will present the 'Taiwan Sign Language Contribution Award' on the 13th. (Editor: Lung Po-an) 1150514