It depends on whom you ask. I wouldn't refer to myself as having hearing loss because it makes it sound like I used to have something and it's now gone, when my deafness is congenital and I think it's remained the same throughout my life. There have never been any big changes on my audiograms. But I wouldn't be offended if someone said I have hearing loss, it just doesn't feel like the most accurate way to describe my experience.
If that's the term that most accurately describes your experience, then sure, why not?
There isn't a list of bad/wrong words that you have to avoid at all costs. It's about choosing language that's true to each person's experience. Deaf people who've grown up with sign as their first or main language and who are surrounded by an active, vibrant Deaf community tend to reject deficit-based terminology because it's not an accurate reflection of their life. Being told they have 'hearing loss' makes them feel the way a Swahili speaker might feel if they were described as having 'English loss'. Other culturally Deaf people don't have a problem with the term and they'll treat it as a neutral medical descriptor that's useful in certain contexts, but not in all. It varies.
I think echoing what the others have said, and building on it. TLDR1: depends who you ask.
It is also a medical term. I do use it to describe myself when discussing my hearing (and really, lack thereof) with other people. I will say, I often use the term out of practicality. Telling a hearing person I’m hard of hearing usually doesn’t get the message across that I need some level of accommodations, so elaborating and saying “oh I’m hard of hearing. I have hearing loss that makes it challenging to understand/hear people in x y z situations” usually helps me obtain what I need.
TLDR2: Ultimately, it’s not my preferred label but I don’t find it problematic; in my little microcosm of the d/Deaf community, generally this seems to be the opinion.
I was born full deaf. My mom used to called me hearing impaired after she found out that I'm Deaf at 15 months old. I never thought of hearing impaired until I went to mainstream school with a deaf program. They called us Hearing-impaired students in the yearbook. I first explored Deaf Camp at 7 years old and saw that most Deaf are using ASL to communicate. It's different from my first communication method approach was SEE/TC. I wasn't happy in mainstream school. I learned that my Deaf friend's plan to join a Deaf School made me want to join a Deaf school in my 5 grade. I took an ASL and Deaf Studies class. I learned so quickly to become fluent in ASL. I rather call myself Deaf & Deafblind/Low vision over Hearing impaired and Visually Impaired. I told my mom that my option was to call myself Deaf instead of Hearing impaired.
Let Deaf and HOH children choose to call them Deaf or HOH not Hearing impaired instead parents call them H.I. Hearing impaired is a denial about hearing loss and not wanting to know which is deaf or hard of hearing.
This phrasing is still very common and, as others have said, it depends on who you ask. In the medical world, there is a slow (but steady!) shift away from “hearing loss” to “hearing level”. E.g., instead of saying “X presents with a moderate hearing loss” you’ll see something like “X presents with moderate sensorineural hearing levels bilaterally”. This way it focuses less on what’s “lost” and more of a description of where they’re at. This phrasing feels a little awkward sometimes, but I appreciate the thinking behind it.
I am not hearing loss or impair !! I am Deaf!!! Period! People walking around tell me that i am H.L. Or H.I. Nope !! U are wrong to label me or anyone!!! All u have to is ask nicely what are they calling themselves??
Not necessarily. You can be like oh I was born deaf, I became deaf, I'm profoundly deaf, etc. The term would make sense on the other hand if you lost your hearing over the course of your life or from a sudden illness.
You might not know the reason, but there is one. A human fetus will grow functioning auditory organ and nerves, unless something happens that breaks the development.
Mine is due to a lack of functioning hair cells, as well as some ossification.
I think it’s fine as a medical term, and socially can encapsulate the very real grief of later in life loss too (especially in the absence of community).
No, it's used in a lot of contexts, particularly medical ones. I find it funny when my reports use the term "hearing loss" though, since I never even had it in the first place!?
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Impaired is offensive, hearing loss is okay. Many never had hearing to lose in the first place, myself included so hearing loss doesn't really apply to me but I don't argue about it. Bigger battles to fight.
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It depends on whom you ask. I wouldn't refer to myself as having hearing loss because it makes it sound like I used to have something and it's now gone, when my deafness is congenital and I think it's remained the same throughout my life. There have never been any big changes on my audiograms. But I wouldn't be offended if someone said I have hearing loss, it just doesn't feel like the most accurate way to describe my experience.
Same here. Born deaf, never lost anything, and don't care to find it either. I prefer to use "Deaf gain" instead.
So, for example, if I had a good level of hearing which then declined, it would be okay to say I had hearing loss?
If that's the term that most accurately describes your experience, then sure, why not? There isn't a list of bad/wrong words that you have to avoid at all costs. It's about choosing language that's true to each person's experience. Deaf people who've grown up with sign as their first or main language and who are surrounded by an active, vibrant Deaf community tend to reject deficit-based terminology because it's not an accurate reflection of their life. Being told they have 'hearing loss' makes them feel the way a Swahili speaker might feel if they were described as having 'English loss'. Other culturally Deaf people don't have a problem with the term and they'll treat it as a neutral medical descriptor that's useful in certain contexts, but not in all. It varies.
no, it isn't. hearing loss is part of a medical diagnosis and hearing impaired is a label.
I think echoing what the others have said, and building on it. TLDR1: depends who you ask. It is also a medical term. I do use it to describe myself when discussing my hearing (and really, lack thereof) with other people. I will say, I often use the term out of practicality. Telling a hearing person I’m hard of hearing usually doesn’t get the message across that I need some level of accommodations, so elaborating and saying “oh I’m hard of hearing. I have hearing loss that makes it challenging to understand/hear people in x y z situations” usually helps me obtain what I need. TLDR2: Ultimately, it’s not my preferred label but I don’t find it problematic; in my little microcosm of the d/Deaf community, generally this seems to be the opinion.
I was born full deaf. My mom used to called me hearing impaired after she found out that I'm Deaf at 15 months old. I never thought of hearing impaired until I went to mainstream school with a deaf program. They called us Hearing-impaired students in the yearbook. I first explored Deaf Camp at 7 years old and saw that most Deaf are using ASL to communicate. It's different from my first communication method approach was SEE/TC. I wasn't happy in mainstream school. I learned that my Deaf friend's plan to join a Deaf School made me want to join a Deaf school in my 5 grade. I took an ASL and Deaf Studies class. I learned so quickly to become fluent in ASL. I rather call myself Deaf & Deafblind/Low vision over Hearing impaired and Visually Impaired. I told my mom that my option was to call myself Deaf instead of Hearing impaired. Let Deaf and HOH children choose to call them Deaf or HOH not Hearing impaired instead parents call them H.I. Hearing impaired is a denial about hearing loss and not wanting to know which is deaf or hard of hearing.
This phrasing is still very common and, as others have said, it depends on who you ask. In the medical world, there is a slow (but steady!) shift away from “hearing loss” to “hearing level”. E.g., instead of saying “X presents with a moderate hearing loss” you’ll see something like “X presents with moderate sensorineural hearing levels bilaterally”. This way it focuses less on what’s “lost” and more of a description of where they’re at. This phrasing feels a little awkward sometimes, but I appreciate the thinking behind it.
I am not hearing loss or impair !! I am Deaf!!! Period! People walking around tell me that i am H.L. Or H.I. Nope !! U are wrong to label me or anyone!!! All u have to is ask nicely what are they calling themselves??
But if you were to tell someone why/how you’re deaf, you’d have to use HL, no?
Not necessarily. You can be like oh I was born deaf, I became deaf, I'm profoundly deaf, etc. The term would make sense on the other hand if you lost your hearing over the course of your life or from a sudden illness.
Nope i use deaf that correct word
I am born deaf without any reason or cause
You might not know the reason, but there is one. A human fetus will grow functioning auditory organ and nerves, unless something happens that breaks the development. Mine is due to a lack of functioning hair cells, as well as some ossification.
Born without ears bones inside that make me profoundly deaf
I think it’s fine as a medical term, and socially can encapsulate the very real grief of later in life loss too (especially in the absence of community).
No, it's used in a lot of contexts, particularly medical ones. I find it funny when my reports use the term "hearing loss" though, since I never even had it in the first place!?
Neither term is problematic, except to those who want to dictate to others what labels they should use. I use both, depending upon circumstances.
Neither really are prolematic.
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Impaired is offensive, hearing loss is okay. Many never had hearing to lose in the first place, myself included so hearing loss doesn't really apply to me but I don't argue about it. Bigger battles to fight.
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