I’m feeling a touch grumpy. I get this way when I see people telling other people how they should self-identify with hearing loss or deafness. And I get grumpier when they start shaming. “ You can’t call yourself THAT! Because you’re NOT that! I am THAT! You’re THIS, because I say so (based on my own limited knowledge of the full spectrum of deafness!)” I spend significant time reading posts on FaceBook hearing loss...
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✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change — this is a personal opinion piece on identity language with no clinical or practice implications.
Understanding patient identity preferences can improve person-centered communication in audiology practice, but this piece signals broader community tension around self-identification that clinicians should be aware of.
- 01Author argues that individuals with hearing loss should have full autonomy over how they self-identify.
- 02The post criticizes shaming or policing of identity labels (e.g., deaf, hard of hearing, hearing impaired, CI recipient).
- 03No single label is presented as correct; personal context and preference are framed as the deciding factors.
- 04The piece reflects ongoing cultural debate within Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities about identity language.
- 05No clinical data or research evidence is cited; the content is entirely opinion-based.
