It is estimated that more than two million Americans are profoundly hard of hearing or deaf. There are many more throughout the world. Deafness means that individuals cannot easily participate in spoken conversations with family and friends. They miss warning signals such as a stranger walking up on them on the street or hearing smoke alarms. They may not be able to use a telephone or hear a television program.

Webster’s dictionary defines deaf as totally or partially unable to hear. Unfortunately, this definition of deafness is not the definition preferred by professionals but it is a commonly accepted one. Quite often, someone will say, "What’s wrong? Are you deaf?" when someone has just merely misunderstood what was said. Someone else might say, "Oh, I’m becoming deaf" when, in fact, they can hear almost everything you say but may have missed one word.

Professionals in the field of hearing; audiologists, ear, nose, and throat physicians, or hearing aid dispensers, normally address the term deaf or deafness to mean someone who is not able to hear and understand speech no matter how loud it is. Deaf persons are helped minimally with hearing aids or hearing instruments. For deaf people, a hearing aid may help lip-reading by giving clues about the rhythm of speech or being aware that someone is talking or not talking. Hearing aids may also make warning signals such as a horn honking audible. Hearing aids rarely afford the ability to understand speech without the help of lip-reading. More often, deaf people do not use hearing aids. Rather, they use their hands to communicate via sign language or writing.

If the deaf person becomes deaf in pre-verbal infancy through illness, genetics, or other unknown reasons, it is very difficult for spoken speech and language to be developed. If one cannot hear speech, one cannot imitate speech and it through imitation that speech is learned. For example, if you never heard French it would be very difficult to speak French accurately. On the other hand, if you had normal hearing up to three or four years of age and then lost it due to meningitis, or suffered head trauma at age twelve causing hearing loss, the effects on speech and language would not be as great. One is often able to continue to have the rhythm of speech and be able to maintain quality speech with hearing aid use if the loss occurs after speech has been developed

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The ability to learn speech varies so much throughout the deaf community. Some people find it is a hardship and for others it is a badge of honor. The consensus is to try to teach all children to talk and use hearing aids. Eventually, you may allow the child to make the decision whether or not the hearing aids are helping. The child should not make this decision until he/she is fully aware of the consequences. It should not be based upon whether other children make fun because of the hearing aid but whether it is providing benefit.

There is a large dichotomy between the deaf community and hearing professionals about when to introduce sign language. Some, called total communicationists, believe that you should use hearing, hearing aids, speech therapy, and sign language at the same time. If you develop language concepts quickly through whatever modalities possible, it is easier for the child to follow and learn speech. Others believe that you should start with speech only and not teach sign language. It is believed that the use of sign language may prevent the child from developing speech and thus isolate him from the normal hearing world. Both methods have their successes and their failures. It is the parents’ responsibility to determine which system to use. It is the responsibility of the professional to communicate with the parents and provide the much needed information and support. The parents should be encouraged to never choose a single system for the education of their child. Rather they should continue to evaluate the child’s progress and prognosis within the system often. Reevaluation on an annual basis insures that the child will benefit from whatever type of communication system is selected and that it is best suited for his or her needs, temperament, and environment.

More often than not, deaf people communicate with other deaf people. Deaf people associate with other deaf people. This is the case with any close community. Whether it involves ethnicity or religion, people like to associate with whom they feel comfortable and with whom they can communicate easily. This limited community can be a point of concern and sadness to the hearing parents. In the end, people will gravitate to where they are most comfortable. Marriages between deaf people and hearing people have a higher rate of divorce than marriages between the deaf and the deaf with the same type and degree of communication.

If you are deaf, it does not necessarily mean you will have a deaf child. It depends on the cause of your hearing loss. Hearing loss due to disease reduces the chances of your child being deaf or having a hearing impairment. If the cause of your loss is unknown but appears to "run in the family", the possibility of your children having a hearing loss increases. If you are concerned about the possibility of your children having a hearing loss, a good family history should be developed to determine if hearing loss is hereditary. A consultation with a geneticist would also help to determine the chances of having a deaf child.

In conclusion, deafness is not a mild problem, it is a severe hearing loss. Most people learn to accept their deafness and lead full productive lives. My parents are both deaf. My father lost his hearing at age three and has been struggling throughout his whole life to accept the deafness. My mother was born deaf. Her sister was born deaf. Her brother was born hard of hearing and became deaf. My mother has accepted her hearing loss throughout her life. My deaf parents raised two children who obtained advanced college degrees. They own their own home, travel, and in general, have the same happiness and sadness in their marriage and family as anybody else. Deafness itself should not be the impediment. How you deal with it will determine how well adjusted you are in life.

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