What is Deafness?

• Deafness means that a person has a limited ability to hear sounds. It is a communication difficulty rather than merely a loss of sound perception.
  
  
• Congenital deafness affects all aspects of a child's development: cognitive, emotional, social and educational.
  
  
• Hearing Loss affects volume (loudness) and frequency (pitch).
  
  
• Adults who become deaf (deafened) do not rely on hearing alone to communicate. Vision is also important.
  
  
• The terms mild, moderate, severe and profound describe the extent of deafness.