Terminology

What are the “proper” terms and definitions to be used in regard to deafness?

The Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing are all very distinct groups.

deaf [small ‘d’]:  a term used to refer to a person with little or no functional hearing.  It may also be used to refer to those who are audiologically deaf but do not identify with the Deaf community.

Deaf [big ‘D’]:  is used as a sociological term referring to those individuals who are audiologically deaf or hard of hearing who identify with and consider themselves a part of the culture, society and language of deaf people based on the use of sign language.

deafened (also known as late-deafened):  is used to refer to those people who lose all their hearing later in life and have been raised in a culture of spoken, written communication.

D/deaf:  is used as a collective noun to refer to both those who identify with Deaf culture and those who do not.

oral deaf:  a deaf person whose preferred mode of communication is verbal and auditory.  An oral deaf person who uses both speech and ASL may be considered a member of the Deaf community.

hard of hearing:  a term used to refer to a person whose hearing loss ranges from mild to profound and whose usual means of communication is speech.

hearing impaired:  a term most often used by the medical community but not accepted by the Deaf community as it emphasizes the disability or problem.