This volume investigates the global diversity of sign languages and the socio-political status of Deaf communities across various nations. Editors Donna Jo Napoli and Gaurav Mathur compile interdisciplinary research from scholars and activists to examine how sign languages are formed, maintained, and utilized within different cultural contexts. The text argues that understanding the civil rights and social challenges of Deaf populations requires a comparative, international perspective that accounts for both linguistic structure and historical marginalization.

Experts recognize this volume as a significant contribution to the field of sociolinguistics and Deaf studies due to its broad geographic scope and collaborative structure. Readers frequently note that the inclusion of responses from pre-eminent thinkers provides a balanced and rigorous academic dialogue.