What is the difference between Deaf and deaf?

Question

In writing we sometimes see the word Deaf with a capital ‘D’ and other times we may see it as deaf with a lower case ‘d’. What is the difference and is it really important?

Answer 1

When we see the capital ‘D’ we are talking about the culture or those who are culturally Deaf. These are individuals that embrace the language, art, and cultural rules of the Deaf community. The capitalized Deaf descriptor can also be used to identify that community. The little ‘d’ deaf typically refers to medical deafness.

Answer 2

Little "d" deaf represents medical diagnosis of hearing loss of some amount, usually for profound or severe loss. Big "D" Deaf is a cultural awareness of Deaf people who respect, interact with, and love the Deaf community. The community includes art, poetry, language, education, and socialization.