Definitions
There is no one accurate way to define a person of any culture. But just to give an idea to those of us without insight, here is a brief rundown of some terms you’re bound to find within the community:
- deaf
- The use of the lowercase d indicates what you are. deafness is a physical description. It is the inability to hear for whatever reason. There are different levels of deafness.
- Deaf
- The use of the uppercase D indicates who you are. Deafness is an identity, a community, a culture, a mode of being. You can be deaf and not Deaf, or alternatively, considered Deaf but not deaf.
- Deafies or Hearies:
- A label for d/Deaf people or Hearing people.
- Hard-of-Hearing (HoH)
- Any person with a hearing loss that is not deaf nor hearing. HoH can apply to anyone of any age or any background.
- Hearing Impaired
- The “politically correct” term for a deaf person. Many Deafies feel that this implies a handicap rather than a state of being and would more often prefer to simply be called “deaf.”
- Signing Impaired
- A play on “hearing impaired.”
- Late-deafened
- Any person who did not immediately develop hearing loss (i.e. at birth or during childhood).
- Child of a Deaf Adult (CODA)
- Any person who has one or more parents who are deaf.
- Deaf Child of a Deaf Adult (DCODA) or Deaf of Deaf (DOD)
- Any person who is d/Deaf and has one or more parents who are d/Deaf.
- Signer
- Any person with the ability to communicate using one or more variations of sign.
- Oral
- Any deaf person who has the ability to lip-read/speech-read and can often communicate through voicing.
