Deaf. D/deaf. Hearing loss. Hearing impaired. Hard of hearing.

We’ve all heard (or read) some or all of these terms, but what do they actually mean?

You might think it’s fairly obvious – that each term means someone who doesn’t have the full range of “normal” hearing – but I’ve found it very difficult, since my diagnosis, getting my head around what each means. There’s a range of hearing loss implied in each term, but since my diagnosis, I’ve described myself as deaf, because it’s ea...