Deaf or deaf?

Have you ever wonder why we use the capitalized D instead of d when referring to our targeted community?

Read this post to figure our why!

​Deaf	deaf
Consider themselves as culturally deaf	Consider themselves as a part of the hearing community
Strong deaf identity	Refers hearing loss/ deaf only in medical terms
Most are people who born deaf and prelingual deaf (lost the ability of hearing before learning languages)	Vary; might have the same conditions like Deaf people or suffer from severe/ partial hearing loss. Some of them might not yet integrated into the Deaf culture because they're progressively losing their hearing
Attend specialized programs and schools for the deaf	May go to regular schools and with no specialized programs for them
Their first language/ mother tongue is usually Sign Language	Depends on their conditions
Is a member of the Deaf community, associate with other Deaf/ deaf people	Is not a member of the Deaf community, doesn't associate with other Deaf/ deaf people

Knowing this difference will lead to a more understanding and respectful word choice.

If you are unsure of what kind of D/d to use--the big "D" or small "d"--you should directly ask them.

Your understanding and knowledge will contribute to the multicultural world we are living in.

---

References:

1. Sign Health

2. Ear Nose Throat Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

3. Dong Nai University - Deaf culture Research Center

4. Verywell Health