The correct terminology for individuals with hearing loss is 'hearing impaired' or 'deaf,' not 'deaf-mute.' Deafness, even profound, does not affect the vocal apparatus, preserving the ability to articulate words.
Individuals who lose their hearing during life generally do not forget how to speak or sing. Muteness, clinically, refers to the inability to use the vocal apparatus for speech. Therefore, a deaf person can speak, often with specialized support, and the notion that all deaf people are mute should be eliminated.
Classifications of deafness range from mild to profound; profound deafness may involve difficulties in acquiring oral language. Communication can occur through speech (oral deaf) or sign language (signed deaf), such as Libras.
