Today's lesson in Language Matters (and why journalists should always check the Stylebook): When writing about exceptions to @GavinNewsom's new mask order, I wrote that it does not apply to people who are "hearing impaired" 1/
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She said the term was offensive to many people who are deaf don't think of themselves as being impaired. She asked me if
@AP had style guidance on it. Turns out, we do! 3/Show this thread
Per @APStylebook:
deaf: Describes a person with total or major hearing loss. For others, use partial hearing loss or partially deaf. Avoid using deaf-mute. Do not use deaf and dumb. Some object to the term hearing-impaired; try to determine an individual’s preference. 4/
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I ended up changing the language to"people who are deaf or have hearing loss." I realize that may not be perfect, but I wanted to make the distinction between someone who is born deaf and someone who loses their hearing due to age or something else 5/
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I also checked with the state to make sure that language would still be an appropriate read of the order. They said it worked. All of that is to say, it's important to consider the language we use to describe groups we aren't part of. And to check the Stylebook.
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Here's a great story from
@deepa_shivaram exploring the unique challenges people who are deaf or hard of hearing face when everyone is wearing a mask:https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-normal-masks-added-barrier-deaf-hard-hearing-community-n1212456 …Show this thread
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