List
of Terms: Deaf Community Labels
deaf- a medical term used to describe a
person with a hearing loss such that talking and hearing are not
efficient for typical daily communication.
Deaf- the label given to a person with a
hearing loss who is a member of the Deaf community (meaning uses
sign language
to communicate and regularly interacts with other Deaf people)
Hard-of-hearing (HOH) - a label given to
a person with a mild to moderate hearing loss; can be both a medical
or cultural label
Late-deaf- (Late deafened) (ALDA: a late
deafened adult, the acronym comes from the Association of Late
Deafened Adults), someone who becomes deaf
later in life; can be considered a member of the Deaf community if
they choose to learn sign language.
Hearing/Hearie- a hearing person, a
person who can hear.
"THINK-HEARING"- ("hearing in the mind,"
"Hearing in the head") an insulting term
used to describe a deaf person who prefers to "act Hearing," "thinks
like a Hearing person" or "wants to be
hearing."
Deaf community- the collection of Deaf
and hearing people that use American Sign Language (or the
indigenous signed language of their locale) to communicate
with each other and have the knowledge of the culture of the Deaf
World
Deaf World- the label used to describe
the "cultural environment" of the Deaf community; often used to
describe the behavioral norms that are followed when Deaf people
gather together
Deaf House- a home that has been set up
with various technological assistance devices to make the home
visually rather than auditorily-friendly
Deaf-of-Deaf- the label given to a
person who is Deaf and has Deaf parents (Deaf-of-Deaf-of-Deaf would
mean with Deaf parents and grandparents)
CODA- Child of Deaf Adults; a hearing
person with one or more Deaf parents
SODA- Sibling of Deaf Adults; a hearing
person with a Deaf sibling
Deaf "institute"- a residential school
where Deaf students live and go to school; considered by many to be
the heart of the Deaf community
Interpreter - a hearing person that facilitates communication between a Deaf
person and a hearing person, or a Deaf person that facilitates
communication between two Deaf people
Notes:
* Hat tip to Katie O'Brien for some of the definitions above.
Also see: "What am I?"
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