Deaf Culture 101 - Use of the word "deaf"

Orkid Sassouni
Teacher at PS47 School NY
B/W Photo
1997


Within the larger deaf community, there are various levels of deafness. Also, you may have noticed the capitalization, or lack thereof, when I have used the word deaf; this is not a matter of inconsistency. Within literature I have come across, “deaf” is widely used as “the audiological experience of not being able to hear sound,” whereas “Deaf” is used to “describe a cultural identity” (Smith & Bienvenu, 2007, p. 62). Moreover, Humphries, Padden, and O'Rourke (1994) explain that these distinctions are made:

because there are deaf people, who are not part of any of these [Deaf] communities, who do not know ASL. We are distinguishing between those deaf individuals who use ASL (Deaf individuals), and those who are deaf, but do not participate in the language or community of Deaf people, (deaf individuals). As you can see, just because one does not hear, it does not necessarily mean that one has learned ASL and is part of a Deaf community. (p. 6)

Therefore, the use of the common language, ASL (American Sign Langauge), allows Deaf individuals to form a cultural identity. These distinctions in capitalization are widely used and necessary when referring to the deaf community at large or the culturally Deaf population within the larger deaf community.

References
Humphries, T., Padden, C. O'Rourke, T. (1994) A basic course in American sign language. (2nd ed.). Silver Spring: T.J. Publishers, Inc.

Smith, K.L., Bienvenu,M.J. (2007). Deaf theory: What can we learn from feminist theory? Multicultural Education, 15(1), 58-63.