When the first deaf schools were established in Flanders, the teachers were directly or indirectly influenced by the methods used at the Institution Nationale des Sourds-Muets à Paris (and consequently by French Sign Language).
As with other neighbouring countries, the education of deaf children was strongly influenced by the resolutions that took place at the Milan Conference in 1880.
There is however an ongoing process of spontaneous standardization (mostly due to increased contact between deaf people from different regions).
Another important aspect influencing the language is the federalization process which has taken place in Belgium along ethnic lines as Flemish or Walloon.
Sign language rights are administered by the Flemish community on behalf of DHH people in Flanders and Brussels.
[6] The decree consists of three major parts: Belgium ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)[7] on 2 July 2009.
[9] Dr. Goedele A. M. De Clerck,[10] a Flemish scholar specializing in deaf culture, helped facilitate this initiative and published an academic article summarizing the experience.
[11] The G1000 democratic participation initiative/think tank in Belgium[12] guided the methodology of integration employed by the Flemish Deaf Parliament.
The need for more interaction between age groups in the deaf community, particularly to provide role models; assisted transitions between stages of life; and improvement of elder care were also discussed.
To name a few, Nowedo in Bruges, De Haerne Club in Kortrijk, Madosa in Antwerp, Piramime in Turnhout, and Limburgia in Hasselt[11][15] all provide access to resources and socialization for the Flemish deaf community.
[19] Linguistic milestone evaluations are also conducted before children reach two years of age, using a methodology adapted from the ASL VCSL checklist into VGT.