Affinity Bloc: Deaf Peoples

Overview: The Deaf Peoples affinity bloc encompasses those peoples typically classified as culturally Deaf -- those who are deaf from birth or became so early in life. Estimates of the number of culturally Deaf people in the world range from 18 to 36 million. While they are ethnically diverse, they share a common linguistic bond. Sign language is at the core of their lives. Apart from sign language, they remain isolated from others among whom they live. Much of the cultural identity shared by the Deaf arises from their shared experience of discrimination. Regardless of ethnic background, cultural and linguistic factors serve to unite the global Deaf as a unique people cluster.

Peoples within this cluster: Deaf Afghan; Deaf Albanian; Deaf Algerian; Deaf American; Deaf American Virgin Islander; Deaf Andorran; Deaf Angolan; Deaf Anguillan; Deaf Antiguan; Deaf Argentine; Deaf Armenian; Deaf Aruban; Deaf Australian; Deaf Austrian; Deaf Azerbaijani; Deaf Bahamian; Deaf Bahraini; Deaf Barbadian; Deaf Barthelemois; Deaf Batswana; Deaf Belarusian; Deaf Belgian; Deaf Belizean; Deaf Bengali; Deaf Beninese; Deaf Bermudian; Deaf Bhutanese; Deaf Bolivian; Deaf Bosnian; Deaf Brazilian; Deaf British; Deaf British Virgin Islander; Deaf Bruneian; Deaf Bulgarian; Deaf Burkinabe; Deaf Burmese; Deaf Burundian; Deaf Cabo Verdean; Deaf Cambodian; Deaf Cameroonian; Deaf Canadian; Deaf Caymanian; Deaf Central African; Deaf Chadian; Deaf Chamorro; Deaf Chilean; Deaf Chinese; Deaf Christmas Islander; Deaf Cocos Islander; Deaf Colombian; Deaf Comoran; Deaf Congolese; Deaf Cook Islander; Deaf Costa Rican; Deaf Croatian; Deaf Cuban; Deaf Cypriot; Deaf Czech; Deaf Danish; Deaf Djiboutian; Deaf Dominican (Dominica); Deaf Dominican (Dominican Republic); Deaf Dutch; Deaf Dutch Antillean; Deaf Ecuadorian; Deaf Egyptian; Deaf Emirian; Deaf Equatoguinean; Deaf Eritrean; Deaf Estonian; Deaf Ethiopian; Deaf Faroese; Deaf Fijian; Deaf Filipino; Deaf Finn; Deaf French; Deaf French Guyanese; Deaf Gabonese; Deaf Gambian; Deaf Georgian; Deaf German; Deaf Ghanaian; Deaf Gibraltarian; Deaf Greek; Deaf Greenlander; Deaf Grenadian; Deaf Guadeloupean; Deaf Guatemalan; Deaf Guernsey Islander; Deaf Guinea-Bissauan; Deaf Guinean; Deaf Guyanese; Deaf Haitian; Deaf Honduran; Deaf Hongkonger; Deaf Hungarian; Deaf I-Kiribati; Deaf Icelander; Deaf Indian; Deaf Indonesian; Deaf Iranian; Deaf Iraqi; Deaf Irish; Deaf Israeli; Deaf Italian; Deaf Ivorian; Deaf Jamaican; Deaf Japanese; Deaf Jersey Islander; Deaf Jordanian; Deaf Kazakh; Deaf Kenyan; Deaf Kittitian; Deaf Korean; Deaf Kosovar; Deaf Kurd; Deaf Kuwaiti; Deaf Kyrgyz; Deaf Laotian; Deaf Latvian; Deaf Lebanese; Deaf Liberian; Deaf Libyan; Deaf Liechtensteiner; Deaf Lithuanian; Deaf Luxembourger; Deaf Macanese; Deaf Macedonian; Deaf Mahorais; Deaf Malagasy; Deaf Malawian; Deaf Malaysian; Deaf Maldivean; Deaf Malian; Deaf Maltese; Deaf Manx; Deaf Mariana Islander; Deaf Marshallese; Deaf Martinican; Deaf Mauritanian; Deaf Mauritian; Deaf Mexican; Deaf Micronesian; Deaf Moldovan; Deaf Monacan; Deaf Mongolian; Deaf Montenegrin; Deaf Montserratian; Deaf Moroccan; Deaf Mosotho; Deaf Mozambican; Deaf Namibian; Deaf Nauruan; Deaf Nepalese; Deaf New Caledonian; Deaf New Zealander; Deaf Ni-Vanuatu; Deaf Nicaraguan; Deaf Nigerian; Deaf Nigerien; Deaf Norfolk Islander; Deaf Norwegian; Deaf Omani; Deaf Pakistani; Deaf Palauan; Deaf Palestinian; Deaf Panamanian; Deaf Papua New Guinean; Deaf Paraguayan; Deaf Peruvian; Deaf Polish; Deaf Polynesian; Deaf Portuguese; Deaf Puerto Rican; Deaf Qatari; Deaf Reunionese; Deaf Romanian; Deaf Russian; Deaf Rwandan; Deaf Sahrawi; Deaf Saint-Martiner; Deaf Saint Helenian; Deaf Saint Lucian; Deaf Salvadoran; Deaf Sammarinese; Deaf Samoan; Deaf Santomean; Deaf Saudi Arabian; Deaf Senegalese; Deaf Serb; Deaf Seychellois; Deaf Sierra Leonean; Deaf Singaporean; Deaf Sint Maartener; Deaf Slovakian; Deaf Slovenian; Deaf Solomon Islander; Deaf Somali; Deaf South African; Deaf Spaniard; Deaf Sri Lankan; Deaf Sudanese; Deaf Surinamer; Deaf Swazi; Deaf Swedish; Deaf Swiss; Deaf Syrian; Deaf Taiwanese; Deaf Tajik; Deaf Tanzanian; Deaf Thai; Deaf Timorese; Deaf Togolese; Deaf Tokelauan; Deaf Trinidadian; Deaf Tunisian; Deaf Turkish; Deaf Turkmen; Deaf Turks and Caicos Islander; Deaf Ugandan; Deaf Ukrainian; Deaf Uruguayan; Deaf Uzbek; Deaf Venezuelan; Deaf Vietnamese; Deaf Vincentian; Deaf Yemeni; Deaf Zambian; Deaf Zimbabwean

Countries where they are found: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; American Samoa; Andorra; Angola; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Armenia; Aruba; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belarus; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bermuda; Bhutan; Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; British Virgin Islands; Brunei; Bulgaria; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Cayman Islands; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Colombia; Comoros; Congo; Congo, Democratic Republic of the; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Cote d’Ivoire; Croatia; Cuba; Curacao; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Estonia; Eswatini; Ethiopia; Faroe Islands; Fiji; Finland; France; French Guiana; French Polynesia; Gabon; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Gibraltar; Greece; Greenland; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guam; Guatemala; Guernsey; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Ireland; Isle of Man; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Jersey; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kiribati; Kosovo; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Laos; Latvia; Lebanon; Lesotho; Liberia; Libya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Marshall Islands; Martinique; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mayotte; Mexico; Micronesia; Moldova; Monaco; Mongolia; Montenegro; Montserrat; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nauru; Nepal; Netherlands; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; Niue; Norfolk Island; North Korea; North Macedonia; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Palestine; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Reunion; Romania; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saint Barthelemy; Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; San Marino; Sao Tome and Principe; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Sint Maarten; Slovakia; Slovenia; Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; South Korea; South Sudan; Spain; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Suriname; Svalbard; Sweden; Switzerland; Syria; Taiwan; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tokelau; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Türkiye; Turkmenistan; Turks and Caicos Islands; Tuvalu; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Vietnam; Virgin Islands; Wallis and Futuna; Western Sahara; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe