Someone who is unable to hear or speak

[floratang]

how should I call "someone who is unable to hear or speak" politely?

[Yankee]

Hi floratang

I understand that you want to know how you should refer to someone who can't hear or speak. That's a good question.

Technically speaking, a person who can't hear is deaf and a person who can't speak is dumb. So, you could simply say: "He is deaf and dumb".

Some people would say "He's a deaf-mute."

But I understand that deaf people who also don't speak (because they're deaf) prefer to be called just "deaf".

So, it might be most polite to just say: "He's deaf."

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Fox]

DON'T say "deaf and dumb".

"Deaf mute" will do.