'Deaf', with a capital 'D', refers people born with severe hearing loss or who became deaf early in life, before the time a child would learn to speak.
They are more likely to be British Sign Language (BSL) users
Pardon? Not All Deaf People Use BSL
Did you know there are different types of deafness and different words to describe them?
These are:
- deaf (small d)
- Deaf (Capital D)
- Deafened
- Hard of hearing
Let me give you a basic overview of the different categories and words:
'deaf' with a small 'd' usually refers to anyone who has very little hearing.
Deafened means becoming deaf later in life, as a child or an adult. Some may use BSL, others won't and will rely on lip reading and other ways of communicating.
Hard of Hearing means a person will have reduced hearing, each person at a different levels. Most will use hearing aids, but these don't always make you hear as well you once did. Other things such as lip reading will be needed alongside. A few might use BSL, but not many.
You may hear people use the term ‘hearing-impaired’ but lots of people find being called ‘impaired’ offensive, so it's better not to use that term.
