Deaf and Hard of Hearing

An inclusive term encompassing people with varying degrees of hearing loss, from mild to profound. "Deaf" with a capital D often refers to individuals who identify as members of the Deaf community and culture, using sign language as their primary language. "deaf" with a lowercase d typically refers to the audiological condition. "Hard of hearing" describes people with mild to severe hearing loss who may use spoken language, sign language, or both. Over 90% of DHH children are born to hearing families, making accessible family communication a critical concern.