DEFINITIONS OF DEAFNESS

There are two main groups of deaf people: those who regard themselves as part of the Deaf Community and are culturally Deaf, and those, who still regard themselves as part of the larger Hearing Community. However, regardless of which group they belong to, deaf people are extremely diverse. Some deaf people are born deaf as a result of diseases such as rubella, or other genetic factors. Others become deaf later as a result of accidents or trauma, or as a result of noisy workplaces and loud music. Deafness can occur at any time during our lives! Still others choose the Deaf Community and Auslan as their first language for communication.
In other words:

• deaf- a generic term for anyone with any sort of hearing loss

• Deaf- just like Italians and French, this one has a capital letter to show that we are talking about culturally-deaf people . They are distinguished by their culture rather than by their medical hearing loss. They take the view that since they were born Deaf, they haven’t lost anything! This group has its own culture and language, Auslan.

It is interesting to note that each country has its own sign language.
It is not universal.

• Hearing Impaired, Hard of Hearing, Oral Deaf- all these are medical terms, referring to hearing loss or impairment, which can be corrected to some extent by hearing aids, cochlear implants etc.

“Hard of hearing” is probably the gentlest of these terms.
This group communicates primarily through speech, lip reading and listening, with suitable technical support.

One word of warning! The term “deaf-mute” is not used now and is regarded as highly insulting and derogatory.

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