Medicine: Professional Organizations

Deaf communities in the United States and around the world have a long-standing relationship with the medical community, which has at times also played a major role in pathologizing Deaf people. Today, some medical organizations continue to advocate medical interventions that are neither welcome nor approved by many Deaf people. Indeed, even in an era when a growing number of people in and outside the Deaf community have come to recognize and celebrate Deaf gain, medical organizations remain a notable presence in the Deaf community and, in some cases, an obstacle.