Welcome Amy! I understand the feeling identity and there are many people who struggle with that. There is a term call late-deafened which means someone loss their hearing late in life. Deaf with a capital D refers to being a part of the Deaf culture or being native American Sign Language signer. I was born deaf but still have residual hearing so I wear hearing aids and I call myself hard of hearing. I also am fluent in ASL so I will say I am deaf but I feel it's better hard of hearing because I don't sign all the time. Most importantly, it is entirely up to the individual to what they want to call themselves. Sometimes I'll say I am deaf/hard of hearing. Most people are not going to be concerned about your hearing status in the Deaf community as long as you sign and are respectful you'll be fine.
here are some cool articles that explains more about the meanings of these terms:
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.verywellhealth.com/deaf-culture-big-d-small-d-1046233[/URL]
[URL unfurl="true"]https://blog.ai-media.tv/blog/the-difference-between-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing[/URL]
Keep on signing and check out the threads on cohlear implants there are many viewpoints.
Annie
