The diversity of the hearing loss community
There are variations in the cause and degree of hearing loss, age of onset, educational background, communication methods, and how individuals feel about their hearing loss.
Understanding and respecting this diversity is key to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of the Deaf, deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing community. It's about recognizing the unique experiences and needs of each individual and ensuring that systems and services are equipped to accommodate and embrace this diversity.
The term "Deaf" with a capital "D" is used specifically to refer to individuals who are part of the Deaf community, which is a cultural and linguistic group. A culturally Deaf person’s first and/or primary language is a signed language and therefore signed language interpretation services are required.
The terms "hard-of-hearing", "deaf" and "deafened" refer to individuals who have varying degrees of hearing loss and typically use spoken language as their primary mode of communication and may have little or no cultural affiliation with the Deaf community. They may use speech, lip reading, speech reading, reading captions or a printed transcriber to communicate.