Deaf Ministry

BASIC DEFINITIONS

deaf (d) The partial or total inability of a person to hear sound unaided-focuses purely on the medical aspects of deafness and ranges from mild to profound. Using the lower case "d" refers to deaf people in general or the condition of deafness.

Deaf (Deaf) People who use American Sign Language as their primary language and generally prefer to view deafness not as a handicap but as a shared experience underlying their sense of community. Terminology such as "hearing impaired" is considered undesirable because it refers to a presumed disability. They consider themselves as a part of the socio-linguistic group known as the Deaf. For this reason the word "Deaf" is usually capitalized when referring to this specific and identifiable cultural group.

Hard of Hearing (hh) People who have substantial but not complete hearing loss. They rely mostly on assistive technologies, lip-reading, or other strategies to interact with others effectively. They comprise over 90% of all people with hearing loss.

Deaf Ministry leaders are available to make presentations to local church groups.

Email Beverly Maulden, director.