d/Deaf culture

Deaf vs deaf

  • Many labels used for people within the disabled community surrounding hearing, but the most accepted are “deaf”, “Deaf,” and “hard of hearing”

  • Lowercase “deaf” refers to the audiological condition of not hearing, and the uppercase “Deaf” refers to a particular group of deaf people who share a language, ASL, and a culture

  • Could be different from those who have lost their hearing due to illness, trauma, or age, and are not aware of the beliefs and practices of Deaf people

  • “Hard of Hearing” can denote a person with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, or can denote a deaf person who doesn’t want an affiliation with the Deaf community

Deaf

Do not associate or advocate for hearing screenings, since it takes people away from the deaf community


Advocate for increased ASL usage, and increased subtitles and captioning


Not all deaf individuals identify with Deaf culture, different identifications with their own hearing losses


Some unique features of Deaf culture

-A reliance on eyesight and use of visual language

-Valuing sign language

-Use of technology to overcome communication

-Promoting Deaf culture through art forms


Visual strategies for a person’s attention

Hard of Hearing

Associate with hearing screenings, a way to integrate themselves into the hearing community


Represent the middle ground between both communities, but often feel isolated


Sometimes, children who are diagnosed do not have the option to choose themselves, often raised by parents who are hearing

Hearing

Believes hearing aids are useful to the entire Deaf and HoH community, but only a subset want hearing aids

Communicating with Deaf individuals

  • When first meeting a deaf person, do not make assumptions about the individual’s communication

  • *Hearing aids and cochlear implants do not restore hearing back to normal, hearing levels depend on the degree of hearing loss

  • Writing, gestures, speech, sign language, technology, and visual aids are all possibilities to be explored


  • Get the attention of the individual before speaking, if no response, a light tap on the shoulder

  • Speak clearly and at a normal pace, do not yell or over enunciate

  • Look directly at the individual while speaking

  • Do not cover mouth or look around while speaking

  • If you need to repeat, rephrase the thought. Some words are harder to understand than others; rephrasing allows for opportunities to understand what was previously missed

  • Use visual aids, gestures, and body language when appropriate