Deafhood

Deafhood is a term coined by Dr. Paddy Ladd in his book "Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood".

...I found myself coining a new label of 'Deafhood.' Deafhood is not, however, a 'static' medical condition like 'deafness.' Instead, it represents a process - the struggle by each Deaf child, Deaf family and Deaf adult to explain to themselves and each other their own existence in the world. In sharing their lives with each other as a community, and enacting those explanations rather than writing books about them, Deaf people are engaged in a daily praxis, a continuing internal and external dialogue. (Ladd, 2003:3)

The concept is revolutionary and empowering for Deaf people. During and prior to the Middle Ages their difference was considered in religious terms: Deaf people were considered ineducable and without souls because only those with speech could speak to God. Later their difference was couched in medical terminology, which saw Deaf people as "broken people" who needed to be "fixed;" fallout from this perspective is still being dealt with today, as Deaf people are prevented from using signed language despite its obvious advantages. More recently Deaf people have promoted they be viewed in sociocultural terms, likening their struggles to those of civil rights movements. The cultural model of Deaf people is the precursor to Deafhood, and stipulates that Deaf people have distinct languages, histories, etc. Deafhood itself moves beyond these and examines individual constructions of deafness and Deaf people in modern society and Deaf people's relationships to their own languages and cultures.

Deafhood has had a great deal of recent exposure due to the protests at Gallaudet University in May and October of 2006.