A Deaf person is someone who doesn’t hear the same way other people do.

Imagine your ear like a tunnel with tiny special machines inside (called ossicles) that help the sound get louder.

Sound travels into the ear like waves, touches those little machines, and helps you hear.

But sometimes, there are obstacles in the tunnel—or the machines do not work quite right—so the sound doesn’t go through as it should.

That is when a person may not hear well, or may not hear anything at all.

Some Deaf people use sign language to talk with their hands.