Lacking the ability to hear.
Severe lacking in sense of hearing
a general term and an audiological condition of not hearing.
When spelled with a capital D, Deaf refers to people who are born deaf or became deaf prelingually (before acquiring spoken language), and use American Sign Language (ASL) for communication. These persons may also referred to as culturally Deaf and/or as members of the Deaf community.
Someone with a severe or profound hearing loss will describe themselves as deaf. A deaf person will be able to hear little or no sound. They might rely a lot on lipreading, British Sign Language (BSL) may be their first or preferred language, and they may wear a hearing aid. At RNID, we use the term "deaf people" as general description when talking about people with all degrees of deafness, including deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people.
With a leading upper-case 'D', Deaf denotes the community (which may include some Hearing as well). With a leading lower-case 'd', deaf denotes the medical pathology of profound hearing loss.
The student demonstrates a hearing impairment that is so severe the student is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, which adversely affects educational performance.
wholly or partly unable to hear
When written with a lower case 'd', the word 'deaf' refers to the inability to hear. When written with an upper case 'D', the word 'Deaf' refers to Culturally Deaf people or culture. Additional information
Partially or completely incapable of hearing.
Webster's New World Dictionary College Edition defines deaf as totally or partially unable to hear. It generally refers to people who usually have little or no useful residual hearing and who employ sign language as their primary mode of communication. Deaf people may also use speech reading, hearing aids, and other assistive technology to aid communication. People who are deaf can be categorized into two groups: congenitally deaf (those who were born deaf) and adventitiously deaf (those who were born with hearing but whose sense of hearing became nonfunctional later in life).
with a small ‘d’, is a general term used to describe all deaf people (deafened, hard of hearing, partially deaf etc.). This group of deaf people tend not to identify themselves as part of the ‘Deaf community’, and use spoken language.
with a capital D, is used to describe someone who is born or who became profoundly deaf at an early age and see themselves as part of the ‘Deaf community’. Their first or preferred language is usually sign language. Deaf people tend to see themselves as part of a linguistic minority, and not as disabled.
Describes people who usually have no useful residual hearing and who generally employ sign language as their primary mode of communication. They may also use speechreading, hearing aids and other assistive technology to aid in communication. Based on the age at the time of loss of hearing, people who are deaf are categorized into two groups: congenitally deaf - those who were born deaf; and acquired deaf - those who were born with hearing, but whose sense of hearing became non-functional later in life through illness or accident.
people who have severe hearing impairments; "many of the deaf use sign language"
lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part
(usually followed by `to') unwilling or refusing to pay heed; "deaf to her warnings"
refers to a particular group of deaf people who share a native sign language and a culture, who hold a set of beliefs, and who involve in the Deaf Communities.
a general term and an audiological condiiton of not hearing.
Unable to hear; usually used only to refer to a person with hearing loss who communicates using modalities other than aural/oral (cf. hard-of-hearing).
A loss of hearing, occurring prior to the acquisition of spoken language. The individual will not be able to understand speech by auditory means, even with a hearing aid. An individual is "Deaf" based on language use, cultural affiliation, social preference, or self-determination.
Unable to usefully perceive sounds in the environment with or without the use of a hearing aid; unable to use hearing as the primary way to gain information.
Spelled with a lower-case d, this refers to the medical condition of deafness. A person who is deaf has been audiologically shown to have a hearing loss. Some deaf people may use spoken language as their preferred mode of communication, while others use a manually-based language. Some use hearing aids or cochlear implants, while others do not. Some may also use speechreading and/or assistive listening devices. Their cultural identity is within the hearing world.
Spelled with an upper-case D, this refers to persons who identify themselves with the language, society, and culture of people who use American Sign Language as their mode of communication.
A hearing impairment so severe that an individual cannot process sounds even with amplification such as hearing aids.
Medically and clinically speaking a hearing loss which is so severe that the child is unable to process linguistic information through hearing alone. Socially when used with a capital letter "D," Deaf refers to the cultural heritage and community of deaf individuals, i.e., the Deaf culture or community. In this context, it applies to those whose primary receptive channel of communication is visual.
Loss of auditory sensation with or without use of assistive listening device. Loss of hearing more severe than is generally characterized as "Hearing Impaired".
A profound hearing loss. Hearing Impaired: A generic term referring to any degree of hearing loss.
Medically or clinically, a hearing loss so severe that a person is unable to understand or process language information through hearing alone. Culturally, the term (with a capital letter "D") Deaf refers to the cultural heritage and community of individuals who are deaf.
Medically and clinically speaking, a hearing loss that is so severe that a person is unable to process linguistic information through hearing alone.
(Capital 'D') A term referring to deaf or hard of hearing individuals who identify themselves as members of a socio-linguistic and cultural group and whose preferred mode of communication is Sign Language.
Generally, the term "deaf" refers to those who are unable to hear well enough to rely on their hearing and use it as a means of processing information. For more information on this term, please visit the National Association for the Deaf Web site.