Never heard this distinction before. I thought Deaf just meant someone who is a part of the Deaf community, and who shares the norms and traditions of the Deaf community.
This brings me to the question: can late-deafened people be culturally Deaf? I know often times late-deafened people hold onto their hearing identity like there's no tomorrow, but if a late-deafened person were to learn ASL and be active in the Deaf community, would you consider them Deaf?
Ah, sorry. I didn't write that correctly. It would be a very, very long post if I wrote all of the things that define Deaf culture.
To answer your question, yes. Late-deafened people can be culturally Deaf. Of course most people use language as a determining factor to determine if you're culturally Deaf. (That's why I feel like I lost my culture... I lost my language ASL). For many people that is enough to consider you a part of Deaf culture. Deaf culture tends to require language, traditions, norms, values, and identity. These guidelines tend to be set by the core-Deaf group. Core-Deaf are normally generational Deaf people and families who have passed down all five of the cultural attributes for generations.
Core-Deaf tend to be the Deaf who come from Deaf families, preserve purer forms of ASL, and who stand at the forefront in the battle against audism. They normally attend residential schools and marry other Deaf. However, being culturally Deaf does not require being core-Deaf. Nearly any d/Deaf can be a part of Deaf culture. Deaf tend to naturally be included in the Deaf community, but it takes a little work to be part of Deaf culture if you are not a d/Deaf person who is part of the core-Deaf group.
I'm not good at explanations sometimes
There is probably a easier way to say everything I just said. I should draw a picture.
I'll use myself as an example. I grew up in a Deaf family. I am Black by race. However, I had to move away from my Deaf family and live with hearing family who are culturally Black (or African American or Moor or whatever is the right term nowadays). Even though I am Black I did not fit into Black culture at first. I had to be immersed in Black culture to understand how to speak, act, and think like people from Black culture.
Same with late-deafened people. Late-deaf can immerse themselves in Deaf culture and be accepted. The physical hearing loss makes the community just like the color of my skin tends to make my Black community. There are HOH, mainstream, late-deaf, CI deaf, oral, all types of Deaf in the community. Same with American Black culture. There are Haitians, Jamaicans, people from Belize, Dominican Republic, Barbadoes, etc. There are core-Deaf who lead tradition and culture. There are the core Black who have been in America for generations and who tend to descend from Africa. We also lead tradition and culture.
That was probably even more confusing, but that's the best I can do
