Who's Who in the Deaf Community
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Members of the hearing world often group deaf and hard of hearing persons
into one category. The frequency with which the term "deaf and hard of hearing" appears in the popular press attests to this conglomeration. In
reality, there are several groups included within the broad "deaf and hard
of hearing" category, and the various groups have distinctly
different characteristics.
The broadest term is hearing impaired,
which refers to anyone with a hearing loss.
Hard of hearing people comprise
over 90% of all people with hearing loss.
Late deafened people are those who
became deafened after acquiring language.
Culturally Deaf people are those
who are born deaf or became deafened early in life and rely primarily on sign language
for communication.
Oral Deaf people are those
who are born deaf or became deafened early in life and rely primarily on
oral communications rather than sign language.
This term refers to all people with hearing loss. It includes hard of
hearing
people, late
deafened people, and Culturally Deaf
people, without regard for the severity of loss, age of onset,
communication methods, use of technology, or cultural affiliation.
Culturally Deaf generally dislike this term, while Hard of Hearing
and Late Deafened people generally like it, or even prefer it!
The vast majority of people
with hearing loss consider themselves hard of hearing. Their hearing
loss ranges from mild to profound, but they consider themselves to be hearing people who just don't hear well. They may have a difficult time
admitting that they have a hearing loss and may try to hide it. The vast
majority of people who are hard of hearing have not yet taken any action
to help them deal with their hearing loss.
Hard of hearing people
generally have the following characteristics:
- Have some degree of
audiological hearing loss, from mild to profound.
- Can benefit to some extent
from the use of hearing aids and assistive
listening devices (ALDs)
- Rely primarily on spoken or
written English for communication with others
- Generally know no or very
little sign language
- Function in the hearing
world in all aspects of their lives (friends, relatives, employment)
- Are uninvolved in the Culturally
Deaf community.
- May or may not have taken
steps to deal with their hearing loss (audiological assessment, use of
hearing aids, etc.)
The dividing line between
hard of hearing people and late-deafened people is pretty fuzzy, and
there is considerable overlap between the groups. People who consider
themselves late-deafened generally have a more severe hearing loss than
people who consider themselves hard of hearing, and the hearing loss may
have had a greater impact on their life. People who consider
themselves late-deafened are more likely than those who consider
themselves hard of hearing to have taken steps to deal with their
hearing loss.
Late deafened people are
generally characterized in the following manner:
- Have a severe to profound
hearing loss, as audiologically defined
- Usually derive minimal
benefit from hearing aids and Assistive
Listening Devices (ALDs)
- Generally depend on a
visual representation of English for communications. This includes
written English, speech
reading, or some form of sign language learned
as a second language.
- Function in the hearing
world with regard to friends, family, and employment.
- Generally do not have
strong associations with the Culturally Deaf community
- Have generally taken steps
to deal with their hearing loss (e.g. audiological testing, hearing
aids, etc.)
When members
of the general public think about people who can't hear, they normally
think of Culturally Deaf people. These are people who were born deaf or
lost their hearing at a very young age. They may have attended a school
for the Deaf, although that is becoming less common as mainstreaming is
becoming the norm. They rely on sign
language as their first language; most or all of their friends are
Deaf.
Because
culturally Deaf people never had hearing, they don't miss it. Many, if
offered a magic pill that would make them hearing, would not take it.
Losing their Deafness is just as frightening to them as losing their
hearing is to hearing people. This is a difficult thing for hearing
people to understand.
Note that
when the word "Deaf" is capitalized, it refers to Deaf Culture
or culturally Deaf people. The uncapitalized word refers to the medical
condition of impaired hearing.
Culturally
Deaf people generally possess the following characteristics:
- Have a
severe to profound hearing loss, as audiologically defined
- Generally
depend on American Sign
Language as their primary means of communication
- Generally
function primarily in the Deaf world, with regard to friends and
social occasions.
- Generally
do not consider their deafness to be a handicap or an impairment,
but a cultural difference.
Oral
Deaf people, like those who are culturally Deaf, were born deaf or
became deaf at a very young age - before the acquisition of language.
Unlike culturally Deaf people, however, they were raised to maximize
their use of oral and aural communication. They were typically fitted
with hearing aids and encouraged to function as much as possible as a
hearing person. They probably attended a mainstream school, rather than
a Deaf school.
Some
of the characteristics generally associated with Oral Deaf people
include:
- Have a severe to profound
hearing loss, as audiologically defined
- Generally depend on a
visual representation of English for communications. This includes
written English, speech
reading, or some form of sign language learned
as a second language.
- Function in the hearing
world with regard to friends, family, and employment.
- Generally do not have
strong associations with the Culturally Deaf community
- Have generally taken steps
to deal with their hearing loss (e.g. audiological testing, hearing
aids, etc.)
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