Cultural Framework

The deaf and hard of hearing community is heterogeneous group. People with hearing loss are from many different races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and cultures. There are many causes of hearing loss and different degrees of hearing loss. Each deaf or hard of hearing individual has a unique perspective on his or her hearing loss. These perspectives can vary due to an individual’s age of onset, educational background, communication styles, family and community life, as well as their own feelings about hearing loss.

Although great diversity exists among those with hearing loss, many individuals who are deaf share a common language and culture, referred to as Deaf culture. In 1972 James Woodward proposed a convention of using the lowercase deaf when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing, and the uppercase Deaf when referring to a particular group of people who share a language and identify with a culture (Woodward, 1972).  Culture is defined as a set of learned behaviors of a group of people who have their own language, values, rules of behavior, and traditions. Members of Deaf culture pass on their language and traditions through generations and share pride in their culture. Many will actively seek other Deaf individuals to socialize with, and often, individuals will marry other members of Deaf culture. Individuals who are Deaf often attend Deaf churches, schools for the d/Deaf, and participate in distinct social, sports, or recreational institutions and activities.It has been estimated that about 90% of deaf children have hearing parents (Genetics in the Practice of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, Garrett, et al., 2006). Since most deaf individuals are born into hearing families, a great majority of Deaf individuals are not born in to their culture, but instead choose Deaf culture for themselves.

The essential link to Deaf culture among the American deaf community is not the degree of hearing loss but rather the preference for communicating using American Sign Language, or ASL. ASL was developed by American deaf people to communicate with each other. In 1817, Laurent Clerc and Thomas H. Gallaudet established the first school for the deaf in the United States. The signed language that developed was a combination of French signs and signs brought in by the students.  This language became what is now known as American Sign Language. Since then, the language has spread to other parts of the United States and Canada, primarily through residential schools for the d/Deaf. See the following link for Gallaudet University: https://www.gallaudet.edu/

American Sign Language, or ASL, is a complete language with its own grammar and syntax. ASL incorporates signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions, gestures, and body movements. It is the first language of many deaf Americans, and the third most commonly used language in the United States (Osborne, 2003). As with spoken language, there is no one form of sign language used around the world. Furthermore, different sign languages are used in different countries or regions. Although ASL is the primary signed language used in America, it is a completely separate language from English. ASL has unique rules for grammar, punctuation, and sentence order. However, ASL does not have its own written form. Therefore, to communicate with English speakers, ASL users learn written English. Learning English without the ability to hear can be extremely challenging, and because of this, many deaf people are not English proficient.

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