About us
Deafness is not a learning disability
There is no reason why, with the right level of support, the majority of deaf children should not do as well in school as their hearing peers. That is why we want your HELP to commit to closing the gap between deaf children and their hearing peers. The word deaf is most often associated with two meanings:
Notated as deaf with a lowercase d, this refers to either one or many of whom deafness is predominantly an audiological experience. This means someone who is partially or wholly lacking hearing, either when they were born, through pernicious disease early in life, or later in life. The term refers to the idea in the strictest sense: the condition and state of being deaf, nothing more.
The other definition is referred to as Deaf with a capital D - it is any person or persons who “identify him/herself as a member of the Deaf community, and other members accept that person as a part of the community." Many Deaf perceive their community akin to other language minority communities, and share a sense of Deaf Culture.
Deaf culture
Is a term applied to the social movement that holds deafness to be a difference in human experience rather than a disability. When used in the cultural sense, the word deaf is very often capitalized in writing, and referred to as "big D Deaf" in speech. Big D Deaf communities do not automatically include all those who are clinically or legally deaf, nor do they exclude all hearing people. As with all social groups that a person chooses to belong to, a person is a member of the Deaf community if he or she "identifies him/herself as a member of the Deaf community, and other members accept that person as a part of the community."
The Deaf community typically includes individuals who communicate via signed languages, individuals who attended schools for the deaf, children of deaf parents, and sign language interpreters. Deaf communities also often possess social and cultural norms that are distinct from those of surrounding hearing communities.
Case studies
Parents of deaf children from Syria always contact Syria Deaf Children. With stories of difficulties they have faced with ensuring their deaf children are able to meet their full potential. One parent said: "I feel that the education system is lacking for deaf children. Teachers are often unsure of how to 'teach' a deaf child, often leaving them to their own resources."