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Deafness is no longer seen as an obstacle, but as an important feature that affects the individual's ability to live independently, while still continuing to be labeled as disability. An important role is played by the study of the lives of people with disabilities, their personal growth, employment, the search for ways to overcome isolation and stimulate independence. At the same time, the definition of the deaf as “disabled” and their study together with the blindness, people with disorders of the musculoskeletal system, mental disorders, etc. often led to ignoring the cultural and linguistic specifics of this group.
The cultural model of disability, as a rule, is usually attributed to the post-traditional paradigm and determined through the struggle of people with disabilities for their cultural identity in the process of recognizing their own differences from the dominant group. Unlike other categories of people with disabilities, in the case of which “it is rather difficult to answer the question of what is the culture of disability”, researchers of the deaf and hard of hearing even in the middle of the 20th century drew attention to the sign language and culture of the deaf and, therefore, began to interpret deafness not as a disability, but as one of the socio-demographic characteristics of a person.
Adherents of the cultural concept consider the deaf culture as a subculture whose main characteristics are sign language, self-determination, similar behavioral patterns, internal marriages, a common historical heritageб and a network of formal associations and organizations.
At the same time, the first criticism of this approach appeared in scientific discourse, expressing skepticism regarding the existence of an independent phenomenon of the deaf culture. It was noted that the culture of the deaf is only a mirror image of mass culture and exists only as a reaction to the “hearing” one.
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