Deafness is partial or complete hearing loss. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people can experience anything from a very mild to a total loss of hearing. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people still enjoy a full and fulfilling life.
Communicating with the hearing world is usually the main problem encountered by people who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing. Many Deaf people, whether they are born Deaf or become deaf, learn sign language as a means to communicate.
In Australia, the Deaf community uses Auslan (Australian Sign Language) to communicate.
