The definition of deafness- the partial or total inability of a person to hear sound unaided – focuses purely on the medical aspect of deafness. The Deaf Community find this view restrictive because it fails to describe the social aspects of deafness. Phrases like “hearing impaired” are not liked by those in the Deaf Community because it refers to a disability. It is preferred to view deafness as an experience shared in a shared community. Therefore as a symbol of pride and identity in their community the word Deaf is often capitalized. The Deaf is a cultural group, sharing a common experience, language and concerns.
Within this community the language used is commonly know as ASL (American Sign Language). Since the bonding force of this culture is language, any person who is deaf and does not use this form of sign language is not considered part of the Deaf Community. Some hearing persons that use ASL are considered part of the community, especially those children of Deaf parents, who learned the language thru natural exposure in the family atmosphere from infancy.
The Deaf community now includes over half a million individuals throughout the United States. We owe this partly to many postsecondary schools designing special programs to accommodate the needs of those in the Deaf Community.
Deaf individuals are found in all walks of life; but because of common interests, communication, and socialization many Deaf will travel great distances to participate in activities with other Deaf individuals.
Over the past several years, technology has made it much easier for the Deaf to access the hearing world. With the development of captioning, Deaf are able to have access to real time programming on television as well as pre-captioning for access to movies. Telecommunication services have also been developed and improved allowing Deaf individuals to communicate with the hearing world via telephone. A fairly new service called “Relay” has been developed giving hearing persons easier access to communication with the Deaf.
As you can see communication is a big part in the lives of every community. Through language and technology the human community makes every effort to meet that very basic need.
