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Deafness is defined as different degrees of hearing loss that people experience at different levels and at different times in their lives. Some are born deaf; some become deaf at a young age; some become deaf at an older age; and others become deaf due to trauma. However, from the Deaf (community of deaf and hard-of-hearing American Sign Language users) cultural perspective, there are hearing people who have lost some of their hearing, as opposed to those who are born without hearing, referred to as deaf person. With deafness comes a loss of status in mainstream societies and a loss of the opportunity to continue to acquire cultural capital. In these respects, whether hearing loss is interpreted through the medical, social, or linguistic model, the fundamental reality is one of loss.

Hearing loss takes many forms, each presenting a unique barrier. Furthermore, there are a variety of people who are affected by hearing loss, including late-deafened adults and children of deaf adults (CODAs). Society is typically unaware of or exposed to the minorities within deafness. This entry focuses on the issues and challenges that people in Deaf culture experience, including those involving identity, language, and education.

Identity

According to Thomas Gonsoulin, physicians, audiologists, and other professionals focus on hearing loss as a disability or pathology condition that should be detected, cured, and rehabilitated with remedies such as surgery and amplification. However, professionals do not see the medical/disability view as limiting. They see it more broadly in the context of the health of the entire human body, since many auditory disorders have medical correlates that require medical treatment and management. Thus, it does not adequately take into account deaf people's early cognitive and linguistic needs and social-identity issues. On the other hand, as noted by Carol Padden in 1988, the sociolinguistic cultural model involves the Deaf's shared experience, language, culture, attitudes, social obligations, quality-of-life issues, and how they cope in daily life. Thus, the majority of Deaf people consider themselves as a linguistic minority rather than as persons with a medical/disability.

Community is formed when people share common interests, goals, desires, and language. Deaf people share common experience in communication, language identity, education, barriers, and social interaction from their own community. Culture occurs when the existence of ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge represents and results in the shared bases of social action. This leads to a variety of activities and traditions that come to be shared by members of the group. Deaf culture has all these characteristics. Thus, the Deaf community and Deaf culture are real and are found not only in the United States but all over the world. Moreover, cultural difference also exists among Deaf and other cultures. For example, the Deaf need to have eye contact during a conversation to indicate that others are listening. Thus, they regard breaking eye contact as an indication that others are not paying attention or listening and consider it to be rude. However, in some cultures, it is considered rude to “stare” while engaging in conversation.

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