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The word deaf, can have very different meanings based on the
background of the person speaking or the context in which the
word is used. The term is commonly used to mean having profound
hearing impairment, a physiological condition causing an inability
to receive or process aural stimulation, i.e., sound.
Depending on the definition of deafness used, the global deaf
population is estimated to be roughly 0.1% of the total population
(1 in 1000). The figure is likely to be higher in developing countries
than developed countries due to restricted access to health care.
Worldwide, at least 5% (1 in 20) are estimated to have a hearing
problem great enough to cause them some difficulty. The great
majority of people with hearing impairments are elderly or acquired
hearing loss after leaving school.
A significant minority of deaf people are part of Deaf culture.
They are mostly either individuals who were born deaf or became
deaf at an early age, and who have a "severe or profound
hearing loss"; they can also be children of deaf parents.
They use sign language and often emphatically see themselves as
not disabled, but rather as members of a cultural or language
minority. Members of this group use deaf as a label of cultural
identity much more than as an expression of hearing status. When
the word is used in this way, it is often capitalized.
Deafness is not limited to humans, it can also occur in animals. |
Deaf Information: Inside
[ Terminology ]
[ Categories of Deafness and Hearing Impairment ]
[ Organizations ] [ Support Services ]
[ Special Education Schools ] [ Camps ] [ Books ] [ Videos ]
[ DVDs ] [ Magazines ] [ Software ] [ Products ]
[ Other Products ]
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