What is a common characteristic of individuals who experience attitudinal deafness?

Individuals who experience attitudinal deafness often have complex relationships with their hearing abilities and the deaf community. The characteristic that they may or may not have significant hearing loss reflects the idea that attitudinal deafness is more about the attitudes and perceptions individuals hold about their hearing status and identity.

Attitudinal deafness involves a mindset that can affect how individuals perceive their own deafness and their connection to the deaf community. Many people who identify with this concept might have mild to moderate hearing loss but may not actively engage with the deaf culture, often due to personal beliefs or societal pressures. Their experience of deafness is influenced by their attitudes towards what it means to be deaf, which can vary widely regardless of the actual degree of hearing loss they might have.

In contrast, options emphasizing a strong preference for speech, engagement predominantly with hearing individuals, or resistance to deaf culture focus more on behavioral traits or social interactions rather than the underlying attitude and perception of hearing, making them less representative of the core characteristics associated with attitudinal deafness.