In the first part of this article the authors consider the policies that apply to Uruguayan Sign Language (Lengua de Senas Uruguaya; hereafter LSU) and the Uruguayan Deaf community within the general framework of language policies in Uruguay. By analyzing them succinctly and as a whole, the authors then explain twenty-first-century innovations. Regarding deafness, the new measures are characterized by their treatment of deafness, sign language, and deaf movements as minority linguistic groups. (Contains 16 notes.)