Deafhood
Deafhood, as opposed to "deafness", is generally a process of personal experience of being a Deaf person. This term is coined by Paddy Ladd who wrote a book, Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood. Ladd (2003) defined deafhood as "a process by which Deaf individuals come to actualize their Deaf identity, positing that these individuals construct that identity to their heightened forms by various factors such as nation, era, and class."
In contrast to "Deafhood" with its positive connotation, the term "deafness" has a negative connotation. Below shows some metaphysical differences of experiences between "Deafhood" and "deafness" respectively based on a collective definition and discourse of the Deaf communities.
Deafhood
- a process
- positive experience of Being
- humanhood
- the use of natural languages of Deaf people
- disapproval of oralism (as a result from phonocentrism)
- language- and culture-oriented
- acceptance of who one is (nature and diversity)
Deafness
- a state
- negative experience of oppression by hearing people with the desire for a medical or pathological "fix".
- a medical condition
- oppression of the use of sign language for speech language.
- favorism of phonocentrism
- hearing-oriented (audism), colonialism
Additional resources
Understanding Deaf Culture: in Search of Deafhood
Bauman, H-Dirksen. Open Your Eyes: Deaf Studies Talking. "Colonialism and Resistance: A Brief History of Deafhood" by Paddy Ladd, pp 42-59.