There is a conflict between the deaf and research community surrounding the meaning of "deafness".

Researchers tend to follow a "medical modal" which focuses on finding ways to cure, fix, or alleviate problems of hearing loss

Many deaf individuals however follow a cultural modal towards deafness. They do not believe that they need to be fixed, and hold a sense of pride and value their community of deafness. They value the rich culture with shared experiences, art, literature, and history.