Deaf Culture

Deaf culture is the set of social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, values, and shared institutions of communities that are influenced by deafness and which use sign languages as the main means of communication. When used as a cultural label especially within the culture, the word deaf is often written with a capital D and referred to as "big D Deaf" in speech and sign. When used as a label for the audiological condition, it is written with a lower case d.

Members of the Deaf community tend to view deafness as a difference in human experience rather than a disability or disease. Many members take pride in their Deaf identity. Deaf people, in the sense of a community or culture, can then be seen as a minority group, and therefore some who are a part of this community may feel misunderstood by those who don't know sign language. Another struggle that the Deaf community often faces is that educational institutions usually consist primarily of hearing people. Additionally, hearing family members may need to learn sign language in order for the deaf person to feel included and supported. Unlike other cultures, a deaf person may join the community later in life, rather than being born into it.

There are three views on Deaf people. There is a Medical View, a view commonly associated with doctors and encouraging a Deaf child's parents that they should undergo surgery. They may even go as far as to urge parents not to learn sign language believing that it will distract the Deaf child from developing his/her auditory and speech skills. The Social view welcomes Deaf individuals into the hearing world and provides Deaf people with accommodations such as interpreters. Detractors of this view argue this fails to recognize the unique situation Deaf children are in; rather than attempting to understand Deaf culture, people with this view feel as though it is the duty of the Deaf individual to find their own way into a predominantly hearing society. Finally, there is the cultural-linguistic view. Supporters of deaf culture argue this appropriately recognizes Deaf people as a minority culture in the world with their own language, social norms, and culture, and promotes Deaf people's right to collective space within society to pass on their language and culture to future generations. Being involved in the Deaf community and culturally identifying as Deaf has been shown to significantly contribute to positive self-esteem in Deaf individuals. This community provides support, easy social interaction, and a "refuge from the grinding frustrations of the hearing world." Conversely, Deaf individuals who are not a part of the Deaf community are forced to conform to the hearing world, resulting in lower self-esteem.

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