Other Definitions
deaf (dict)
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DeafThe word deaf, can have very different meanings based on the background of the person speaking or the context in which the word is used. The term is commonly used to mean having profound hearing impairment, a physiological condition causing an inability to receive or process aural stimulation. Depending on the definition of deafness used, the global deaf population is estimated to be roughly 0.1% of the total population (1 in 1000). http://library.gallaudet.edu/dr/faq-statistics-deaf-other.html The figure is likely to be higher in developing countries than developed countries due to restricted access to heath care. Worldwide, at least 5% (1 in 20) are estimated to have a hearing problem great enough to cause them some difficulty. The great majority of people with hearing impairments are elderly or acquired hearing loss after leaving school. http://gri.gallaudet.edu/Demographics/factsheet.html A small but significant minority of deaf people are part of Deaf culture. They are mostly either individuals who were born deaf or became deaf at an early age, and who have a "severe or profound hearing loss"; they can also be children of deaf parents. They use sign language and often emphatically see themselves as not disabled, but rather as members of a cultural or language minority. Terminology Deaf vs. Hearing Impaired In the wider community, deafness is seen as a total hearing loss, whereas someone with a partial hearing loss is more likely to be referred to as hearing impaired. Political correctness has lead to a preference for referring to a person as hearing impaired rather than deaf - in this sense it is a euphemism for 'deaf'. Within the Deaf community, the terms hearing impaired and deaf are most often used to indicate one's cultural alleigance - to the wider community in the case of the former, or the deaf community in the case of the latter. Other meanings of 'deaf' - Deaf is also used as a colloquialism to refer to a recalcitrant individual or someone unwilling to listen, obey or acknowledge an authority or partner.
Categories of deafness and hearing impairment These categories may be overlapping. Deafness or hearing impainment may be: See also External links Demographics of Deafness
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