Some people believe that the term “people with hearing loss” is inclusive and efficient. However, some people who were born deaf or hard of hearing do not think of themselves as having lost their hearing. Over the years, the most commonly accepted terms have come to be “deaf,” “Deaf,” and “hard of hearing.”
The term "hearing impaired" is often used to describe people with any degree of hearing loss, from mild to profound, including those who are deaf and those who are hard of hearing.
Don't say “the deaf” – use “Deaf people”. Also avoid judgemental phrases such as: “suffering from deafness” or “afflicted by deafness” or “trapped in a world of silence”.
'Deaf' people mostly have profound hearing loss, which implies very little or no hearing. They often use sign language for communication.
The only term that is culturally appropriate to identify Deaf people would be DEAF. Hearing impaired is the formal word used by professionals such as doctors.
Cultural appropriation could be defined as a situation in which a person or group of hearing people use Sign Language without having full knowledge of it or without fully appreciating it.
Speaking in the presence of a Deaf person is considered impolite. You are being disrespectful and inconsiderate, especially if you know ASL and choose to speak instead. By speaking, you exclude them from the conversation.
A deaf mute is someone who has both deafness and the inability to speak. In some cases the muteness is due to lack of attempting language (since language is more difficult to master when deaf), or due to a separate disorder.
This term is generally agreed to be offensive toward a person or group of people. We strongly recommend you do not use this term and instead use a term not usually thought to be offensive.
Deaf is also sometimes used to refer to people who identify as Deaf, deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and hearing impaired. However, some terms such as hearing impaired, deaf-mute, deaf and dumb, hearing deficient, and disabled are considered offensive and should NOT be used.
Don't cover your mouth as you speak. Don't say “never mind.” It is dismissive and excludes the person from the conversation when they were just trying to understand. Don't speak extra slow. It doesn't help the hearing impaired to hear any better and can make lip-reading harder.
"Hearie" is a slang Deaf term for "Hearing people." "Hearing people" means people can hear. "Hearing" is a cultural status as well as a physical ability.
Wave your hand in their line of sight. This is how Deaf people get the attention of one another. Tap them lightly on the shoulder. If they have their back turned away from you, get the attention of somebody in their line of sight, and have that person point at you.
What is the difference between 'dumb' and 'mute'? The words are synonyms for each other. They both refer to being speechless, and the expression 'deaf and dumb' is known by English speakers.
The correct euphemism, it turns out, is speech-impaired, which is even more misleading than visually-impaired.
The four types of hearing loss are sensorineural, conductive, mixed (sensorineural and conductive) and auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD). While most children at CCHAT have sensorineural hearing loss, CCHAT sees students with all four types and is equipped to provide service for each of these children.
Some deaf people consider themselves disabled because of their inability to hear. Others feel disabled because of experiences with discrimination as well as the inability to hear.
Body Language: Body language is crucially important in deaf culture. Much like how it would be rude to walk out of the room when someone is talking to you, in deaf culture, it is considered rude to look away when someone is signing to you.
2- Eye Contact in the Deaf Community If talking to a Deaf person, it is considered rude not to make eye contact. Deaf people do not hear with their ears, they hear with their eyes. Everything on your face is important to people in the Deaf community, including facial expressions.
Ever wondered how to get past an ASL conversation politely? Simply walk through without drawing any attention to yourself! This is not considered rude in Deaf Culture.
One of the biggest taboos in Deaf society is to exclude Deaf people from conversations by "forgetting" to sign. This can create a feeling called "second-class citizenship". The United States Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF) is responsible for organizing U.S. teams to participate in the Deaflympics.
The 'uppercase D' Deaf is used to describe people who identify as culturally Deaf and are actively engaged with the Deaf community. Deaf with a capital D indicates a cultural identity for people with hearing loss who share a common culture and who usually have a shared sign language.