HARD-OF-HEARING OR DEAF - ISSUES OF EARS, LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY

Most social work caseloads include some people who ave deaf or hard-of -heaving, yet few social workers ave attuned to the different and subt le ways in which heaving impairment can affect identity and relationsh ips. People with hearing impairment make many self-defining choices-of communication method; language; and social, cultural, and political a llegiance. Using information collected during a three-year research st udy of people with acquired heaving loss, this article defines and des cribes the complex and interrelated dimensions involved in assessing a nd serving people who are deaf or heaving impaired.