As a professional American Sign Language interpreter and a child of Deaf adults (CODA), I have been exposed to all sorts of phrases surrounding the deaf. Some phrases like “deaf and dumb”, though uncommon, make me cringe, while others such as “hearing impaired” are more innocuous and widespread. When I hear these phrases that are unacceptable, I have to remind myself that the person isn’t trying to be offensive, they simply haven’t been educated. Here I will try to give a brief list of what not to say and why.
Deaf People are not Dumb!
I’ll start with the most offensive mistake. While, most people realize that “deaf and dumb” is inappropriate and simply sounds insulting, I still hear it occasionally. I often note a sense of insecurity when the person says it to refer to a deaf person, as if they knew deep down inside that they shouldn’t have said it, but maybe nothing else came to mind.
The term ‘dumb’ has various origins. In Gothic (dumbs) dumb referred to a person’s inability to speak, while in its Dutch (dom) and German (dumm) roots it referred to a lack of intelligence (i.e., stupid).
In either case, “deaf and dumb” and “deaf mute” is inappropriate. Most deaf people actually can vocalize to some extent. While the ability for their voice to be understood by the general public varies widely, they are fully capable of making sounds. My father is very difficult for people to understand however, I could understand just about every word. My mother on the other hand, who had more residual hearing and more practice as a child vocalizing, is much easier to understand.
Hearing Impaired
“Hearing impaired” is probably the most frequent mistake that I hear, since it was once viewed as a politically correct version of the word “deaf.” This term is no longer acceptable, since “impaired” focuses on what cannot be done, and thus has a negative connotation.
Deaf vs. deaf
Now onto the more subtle distinctions. When Deaf is written with a capital “D” it refers to someone who belongs to the Deaf culture, in large part due to the shared use of American Sign Language (ASL). When deaf is used with a lowercase “d” it refers simply to someone who has lost their hearing, but does not imply that they use ASL or partake in the Deaf culture.
Hard of Hearing
“Hard of Hearing” is a more difficult phrase to define. It can refer to someone who has hearing loss and/or a person who is deaf but doesn’t associate themselves with the Deaf community. A person with hearing loss can be hard of hearing and choose to either participate in the Deaf, hearing, or both worlds. The latter poses more of a challenge for categorical purposes, however it’s perfectly possible.
In Summary
Do not refer to anyone as “deaf and dumb” or “hearing impaired.” The rest of the terms such as “hard of hearing”, “Deaf”, or “deaf” really depend on the person’s preference. You won’t evoke disgust if you refer to someone in those more acceptable terms, however you can always ask the person what they prefer if you’re not sure.
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