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Hearing loss

Persons who have hearing loss may be deaf or hard of hearing. Like other disabilities, hearing loss has a wide variety of degrees. Deafness can be evident at birth, or occur later in life from other causes, such as meningitis. Persons who are partially deaf often use hearing aids to assist their hearing. Deaf persons also use sign language to communicate. While American Sign Language and Quebec Sign Language (LSQ, or Langue des signes québécoise) are commonly used, not everyone with hearing loss uses them.