title: Hard-of-hearing or deaf: issues of ears, language, culture, and identity.
abstract: Most social work caseloads include some people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, yet few social workers are attuned to the different and subtle ways in which hearing impairment can affect identity and relationships. People with hearing impairment make many self-defining choices--of communication method; language; and social, cultural, and political allegiance. Using information collected during a three-year research study of people with acquired hearing loss, this article defines and describes the complex and interrelated dimensions involved in assessing and serving people who are deaf or hearing impaired.
authors.affiliation: Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Luey
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elliott
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003638:Deafness / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D012813:Sign Language; D012947:Social Work