The terms "deaf" and "hard of hearing" are sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably, although it is common and usually acceptable to say "deaf and hard of hearing."
Approximately 466 million people (5% of the population) worldwide have "disabling" hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization, and that figure is expected to reach 10% by the year 2050.
There is often a distinction made between the medical or audiological inability to hear or hear well, and personal affiliation with the "Deaf" community, and so individuals' preferences for labels related to hearing loss may be influenced by that.
"Hearing-impaired" was a prevalent term for a long time, but its use is "no longer accepted by most in the community;" whereas, for many people, "deaf" and "hard of hearing" are not viewed as negative, according to the National Association of the Deaf, who has endorsed the terms since 1937, according to the NAD History.
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