Compare and contrast the terms "deaf" and "hard of hearing."

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER: "Deaf" describes specifically those individuals whose hearing loss is in the extreme: 91
db or greater. Even with the use of hearing aids or other forms of amplification, the
individual's primary means for developing language and communication is through the
visual channel. Deafness, as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA), means “a hearing impairment which is so severe that the child is impaired in
processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, which
adversely affects educational performance.” A person who is deaf is unable to
recognize sound or the meanings of sound pressure waves. However, the degree of loss,
as measured on an audiometer, should not be the sole criterion for defining deafness.
The definition of deafness may also be functional in nature, directly related to the ability
to comprehend spoken language auditorially.
For persons defined as hard of hearing, audition is deficient but remains somewhat
functional. A person who is hard of hearing is one who, generally with the use of a
hearing aid, has residual hearing sufficient to enable successful processing of linguistic
information through audition.
The distinction between "deaf" and "hard of hearing," based on the functional use of
residual hearing, is not as clear as many traditional definitions imply. New breakthroughs
in the development of hearing aids as well as improved diagnostic procedures have
made it possible for many children labeled as deaf to use their hearing functionally under
limited circumstances.