For "deafness", see hearing impairment. For "Deaf" as a cultural term, see Deaf culture. For "inability to speak", see muteness. Deaf-mute was a term historically used by hearing people to identify a person who was deaf and couldn't speak. In the past "deaf-mute" was socially acceptable, usually to describe deaf people who use a signed language, but is now considered offensive (similar to the way that "colored" was once used to describe African Americans but is now looked upon as derogatory). Th… (More on Deaf-mute)