Uppercase ‘D’ Deaf refers to those whose first or preferred language is sign language and who may describe themselves as Culturally Deaf. Lowercase ‘d’ deaf refers to people who have difficulty hearing but do not use sign language as their first or preferred language and do not identify themselves as Culturally Deaf.

The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) says the following about 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.

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.

Deaf people have their own local, national and international organizations around the world, which might be social, athletic, scholarly, religious, and/or literary. Deaf people regularly meet each other in Deaf clubs, events, sporting matches and conventions. They share information, concerns and reciprocal support. Important Deaf international organizations include the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) and the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD).

Article 30, paragraph 4 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes Deaf culture in the following statement: “Persons with disabilities shall be entitled, on an equal basis with others, to recognition and support of their specific cultural and linguistic identity, including sign languages and Deaf culture”.”

(Available at: http://wfdeaf.org/our-work/focus-areas/deaf-culture.)

Yes, up to level 2, further details are located in the Sign Language section of our website.
Deaf awareness can be conducted in either small groups or online. Further details are included in the courses section of the website under Our Services.

Thank you for thinking about offering your valuable time to help us make a difference. We are always looking for people with the skills and time to assist with fundraising, administration and ongoing Deafway projects.

If you would like to discuss volunteering, please contact volunteer@deafway.org.uk or download and complete a Volunteer Application Pack.