Also written: Deaf, Hard of hearing, Deaf and hard of hearing, Partially deaf
| Source | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| SumOfUs | 2016 | Use |
| Global Center for Journalism & Trauma | 2021 | Use with care |
| National Center on Disability and Journalism | 2021 | Use |
| American Psychological Association | 2023 | Use |
| Diversity Style Guide | 2023 | Use |
“Terms used by disability rights activists: … deaf … Deaf culture … hard of hearing”
SumOfUs places "deaf," "Deaf culture," and "hard of hearing" in its column of terms used by disability rights activists. The collective "the deaf" and figurative forms ("deaf ears," "dialogue of the deaf") sit in its avoided column instead.
“People-first language will help avoid defining a person by their disability … Be mindful, however, that some people with disabilities, such as members of the Deaf community, prefer identity-first language. If possible, check with a source what is preferred.”
GCJT names the Deaf community as a key example of a group that prefers identity-first language over the people-first default, and advises checking the individual's preference rather than assuming.
“"Deaf" or "hard of hearing" are the preferred terms. Uppercase when referring to the "Deaf" community and lowercase when referring to the condition. … The National Association of the Deaf supports the identity-first approach.”
NCDJ — the chapter's anchor — endorses "Deaf" and "hard of hearing," with the capitalization rule at its center: capital "D" for the cultural community, lowercase "d" for the audiological condition. It notes many do not regard deafness as a disability, and that the NAD supports identity-first language.
“Identity-first language is often used as an expression of cultural pride … In some cases, as with the Deaf community and autistic community, it is appropriate to use the preferred identity-first language of the community until you can learn an individual's preference. …”
APA supplies the why the other entries assume: identity-first language reads as cultural pride, which is what makes the Deaf community an exception to the usual people-first default. The exception is scoped, not blanket — it's a provisional starting point that yields the moment you learn the individual's own preference.
“Lowercase when referring to a hearing-loss condition or to a deaf person who prefers lowercase. Capitalize for those who identify as members of the Deaf community or when they capitalize Deaf when describing themselves. Deaf should be used as an adjective, not as a noun…”
The Diversity Style Guide sets out the capitalization rule — lowercase "deaf" for the condition, capital "Deaf" for the cultural community — and adds that "Deaf" should be used as an adjective, not a noun ("woman who is deaf," not "a deaf").
“Deaf” is accepted across the corpus; the work is in the capital letter. NCDJ — the chapter’s anchor — along with SumOfUs and the Diversity Style Guide treat “deaf” and “hard of hearing” as preferred terms, and the rule they share is capitalization: capital “D” for the cultural-linguistic Deaf community, lowercase “d” for the audiological condition. The Diversity Style Guide adds that “Deaf” is an adjective, not a noun — “a woman who is deaf,” not “a deaf.”
The Deaf community is the corpus’s main example of identity-first language. GCJT and APA both single it out: where the general default elsewhere is people-first, the Deaf community prefers identity-first language as an expression of cultural pride, and the guidance is to default to it until you learn an individual’s preference. NCDJ notes the National Association of the Deaf supports the identity-first approach, and that many Deaf people do not regard deafness as a disability at all, which is why this entry sits beside the chapter’s disability terms rather than under them.
Self-identification governs throughout: both the capitalization and the identity-first default bend to how a person describes themselves. The avoided forms are the collective “the deaf,” the figurative uses (“fell on deaf ears,” “deaf to”), and the compounds “hearing-impaired” and “deaf-mute,” which the sources handle as separate entries. The guidance is stable from SumOfUs (2016) through the 2021–2023 guides.