Big D, Little d

I’ve been deaf for eight or nine years now and I JUST learned this. In referring to a person without hearing, sometimes the word deaf is capitalized and sometimes no.

What’s with the big D/small d deaf thing?

From Deaf Expressions blog:

The concept is pretty simple. The lowercase “d” is used when speaking about a person’s audiological ability to hear. For example, “That woman is deaf in one ear.” It has nothing to do with culture and ways of thinking. It’s simply a way to describe a person’s severe to profound hearing loss.

But then in walks Deaf with a capital “D.” What does that mean? Well, just because a person is deaf (audiologically speaking), does not automatically make her Deaf (culturally speaking). A capital “D” is used to indicate that a person is part of the Deaf community and has grown up in that culture. It tells people that you’re fine with and happy to be audiologically deaf and you are also involved in the Deaf Community.

What is Deaf Culture? From the book For Hearing People Only:

... a social, communal, and creative force of, by, and for Deaf people based on American Sign Language (ASL). It encompasses communication, social protocol, art, entertainment, recreation (e.g., sports, travel, and Deaf clubs), and worship.

What am I? Small d -- reasons limned in in this post.

I’ve read in a few different blog comment sections, where this D/d thing is being discussed, that there are some assumptions and prejudice against both us small ds as well as the big Ds.

Us small ds are other, more culturally hearing than deaf, we’re supposedly not proud of our no audio state and don’t appreciate the wondrous world seen from this aurally quiet place. That may well be true of a lot of Late Deafened Adults. We really ARE culturally hearing even though deaf -- the hearing world's where we've been most of our lives.

I love the sense of pride that the Big D's feel in who they are, not caring or worrying if they hear or not. They are truly correct, there is nothing wrong with them. On the other hand, the little d's have had an experience that we may not have ever had. They have had something gigantic taken from them, their hearing. They feel stripped of something they valued. Who are we to tell them how they should feel. The Big D's won't allow us to tell them how to feel, yet they are telling the little d's how they should feel.

D is stand for Deaf oppressive
d is stand for deaf liberal.

I can’t speak to the big D being all oppressive bit -- I’ve not experienced it.

Too much, in my less than humble opinion, is made of this Big D/small d theoretical divide. There are and will always be jerks of every color, creed, ability, breed and gender who feel the need to be all clique-ish -- separating the world into fab/elite/special/chosen clubs and sad/lesser/inferior/not-our-kind leagues.

In my small d-ness, I do miss music and ease in conversation but I’m not wallowing in this loss. What could ever possibly be the point in that? What a waste of life that would be.

I’ve not ditched the hearing world I lived in for 46 years pre-deafening. Of course not. I’ve been, however, growing, adjusting, learning and gaining an appreciate of my not so new hushed state.

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.

Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight.
-- Marcus Aurelius

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.
-- Confucius

Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.
-- Soren Kierkegaard

Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
-- Gilda Radner