Originally Posted by VamPyroX

It's not a stupid question.

Besides, the word "deaf" is loosely translated from many perspective.

In the deaf world, the difference between Deaf and deaf is Deaf Culture. People who say they are Deaf (with big 'D') are those who strongly follow Deaf Culture. People who say they are deaf (with little 'd') are those who don't follow Deaf Culture.

For me, I'm simply... deaf (with little 'd').

As for "hard-of-hearing", that's also something that depends on who's using the word.

If you have the ability to hear very well (with hearing aids) and speak orally well, then you could call yourself "hard-of-hearing" when you're describing yourself to other deaf people.

However, if you were in a government office... they would look at "hard-of-hearing" as something used by old people who have lost part of their hearing due to age. That's why they usually use "hearing impaired" instead.