When is it appropriate to capitalize the word ‘deaf’?
Capitalize for those who identify as members of the Deaf community or when they capitalize Deaf when describing themselves. Deaf should be used as an adjective, not as a noun; it describes a person with profound or complete hearing loss. Other acceptable phrases include woman who is deaf or boy who is hard of hearing.
What does it mean to be legally deaf?
What Is the Definition of “legally Deaf”? The medical definition of legal deafness is 66 to 85 decibels of hearing loss. On the scale of hearing loss degrees, this is considered severe. Anything over 85 decibels of hearing loss is considered profound.
What’s the difference between deaf with capital ‘D’?
Capital D Deaf: What’s the Difference? Capital D Deaf: The Community of Sign Language Users. The Deaf community, like other communities (LGBT, African American/Black), holds a cultural identity. deaf. When deaf is spelled with a lower-case d, this simply refers to the medical meaning of hearing loss and/or an inability to hear with one’s ears. D/deaf. … General Rule: "Deaf," "deaf," "D/deaf". …
Is deaf a bad word?
“Number one: ‘Deaf’ is not a bad word,” said Lindsey, “One of the things that is important to know is it’s not a hearing impairment for them.” Zeigler said “the term ‘hearing impairment’ itself really is offensive today to many people. It is very offensive to me.”