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Deaf Culture defines the cultural and communication norms of people with hearing loss. In the US, this refers to users of American Sign Language (ASL). However, not all people with a hearing loss or all users of ASL are members of the Deaf Culture. To delve further into the definition of Deaf Culture let's start with the word Deaf.

Deaf vs. deaf

Deafness is generally viewed from a pathological perspective. The person is seen to have something wrong with them, which needs to be fixed. Doctors and medical professionals will try to fix the hearing loss by recommending hearing aids or a cochlear implant. People under the pathological model are viewed as deaf or hearing impaired and the number of decibel loss and treatment become part of the person's identity. The attitude that there is something wrong that needs to be fixed generally leads to viewing a person with hearing loss as abnormal. However, some view deafness from a cultural perspective. The level of hearing loss is not as important as the ability to communicate in ASL, and socialize with the Deaf community. Big D Deaf expresses cultural deafness. Terms such as hearing impaired, deaf-mute, and deaf and dumb are not socially acceptable to the Deaf Culture and are offensive.

Membership Criteria

The first and most important factor is the individual must have a hearing loss. If the person is medically labeled hard of hearing, profoundly deaf, born deaf, late deafened, or somewhere in between is inconsequential. However, a person without a hearing loss would not be accepted into the Culture. A hearing person could be accepted into the Deaf Community, which is a broader term referring to people who interact with the Deaf Culture and know the language, but have never experienced being Deaf.
The second factor is the dependence on a visual-gestural language to communicate. ASL is cherished to members of Deaf Culture. Deafness is often undiagnosed during the formative language development years and exposure to ASL opens up the world to the child struggling to communicate. In the past signed languages were forbidden and deaf people were forced to learn to communicate orally, increasing the value of ASL.

Cultural Behaviors

So, what makes Deaf culture different from other cultures? Most differences are centered on the importance of communication and full access to communication. For example, in order to get a Deaf person's attention it may be necessary to wave a hand in the air, stomp feet on the floor (the vibrations will

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