FAQ on Deaf Culture! | The ASL App

You might be wondering things about the Deaf Community and Deaf people, but haven’t learned enough signs to ask- or perhaps you don’t want to offend anyone, no worries, we will answer those questions for you! If you have more questions, email us! We’ll update this!  

What is Deaf Culture?

“Deaf people as a linguistic minority have a common experience of life, and this manifests itself in Deaf culture. This includes beliefs, attitudes, history, norms, values, literary traditions, and art shared by Deaf people.” Source: World Federation of the Deaf

What is the Deaf Community?

“Deaf culture is at the heart of Deaf communities everywhere in the world. Each Deaf community is a cultural group which shares a sign language and a common heritage. Members of Deaf communities all around the world therefore identify themselves as members of a cultural and linguistic group. Identification with the Deaf community is a personal choice and is usually made independent of the individual’s hearing status, and the community is not automatically composed of all people who are Deaf or hard of hearing.  The Deaf community may also include family members of Deaf people, sign language interpreters and people who work or socialize with Deaf people who identify with Deaf culture. A person is a member of the Deaf community if he or she self-identifies as a member of the Deaf community, and if other members accept that person as a member. Very often this acceptance is strongly linked to competence in a signed language.” Source: World Federation of the Deaf

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