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Identity
Ways of Identifying
People within Deaf communities across the country identify in a number of different ways. For example, people who do not identify with the linguistic or cultural elements of the Deaf community may refer to themselves as deaf with a lowercase “d.” On the other hand, people who identify with and participate in the language, culture, and community of Deaf people refer to themselves as Deaf with a capital “D.” Some people with hearing loss may call themselves hard of hearing, while others who lost their hearing later in life may call themselves late-deafened. There are also people within the community who have cochlear implants -- a device that is surgically implanted in an individual’s inner ear to stimulate the auditory nerve and allow some hearing. They may identify themselves in any number of ways include Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing. Some people may identify themselves first by their race or sex, while others may not identify as anything but their actual name.
One’s identity is the result of a process that can include many different elements including discovering one’s sense of self, embracing it, and then claiming an identity to other people that reflects how one sees themselves in the world. For this reason, respecting how people identify themselves and how they define their identity is important.
Because identity is highly individual, identities are hard to define. But, definitions can be helpful. Below, we have put together a list of common terms that people in the Deaf community use to describe themselves. The definitions are just one of many perspectives that exist.
Common Terms Used Within Deaf Communities
CODA
This acronym stands for “child of deaf adult,” and is used to describe hearing children of deaf adult(s).
deaf
This term refers to individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. The lowercase “d” reflects a physical or audiological perspective.
Deaf
This term refers to individuals who identify with and participate in the language, culture and community of Deaf people, based on sign language. The capital “D” reflects this socio-cultural point of view.
Deaf-blind
This term refers to individuals who have varying degrees of hearing and sight loss.
Hard of hearing
This term refers to individuals who experience hearing loss from a physical or audiological perspective. An individual who is hard of hearing may primarily use spoken language (their residual hearing and speech) to communicate.
Hearing
This term refers to individuals who are not deaf and who come from the dominant American culture.
Late-deafened
This term refers to individuals who grow up hearing or hard of hearing and, either suddenly or gradually, experience a profound loss of hearing later in life.
