Deaf Culture
American Sign Language and Deaf Culture In the present time that we live in, it is very important to have a good understanding of a variety of cultures. ... However, they often forget about a culture that is prevalent in our society today: Deaf culture. Those who have very limited or no hearing at all and associate themselves with the culture and language of the Deaf are Deaf (capitol “D”) as opposed to those who have a hearing loss and do not (lower case “d” – deaf). It is especially important for Social Workers to have a background in understanding Deaf culture because there will always be a need for advocacy and understanding in this area. The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader more about Deaf culture and apply it to their field of work. In 1980, movement began to increase the awareness and acceptance of American Sign Language (ASL) in the United States, thus increasing Deaf culture awareness.