Health policies and definitions of deafness and hearing impairment in the SUS: a monologue?

Two theoretical definitions are central to the discussion on hearing impairment and deafness: the organic/biological definition and the social/anthropological definition. They differ essentially in the definition of a hypothetical boundary of normality and in the understanding of deaf individuals as a linguistic minority. This study aimed to identify how these definitions were expressed in the health policies for persons with hearing impairment/deafness in the Brazillian Unified National Health System (SUS). A document survey was performed with a focus on health policies for hearing impairment/deafness from 1990 to 2019. The documents (n = 185) were identified through the Virtual Health Library and Health Legislation System, 11 of which were selected that dealt with rulings on technological implementation or practical action in care with a focus on hearing impairment/deafness (the rest dealt with specific administrative issues). The results show that all 11 policies were based on the organic/biological conception, since no reference was found to deaf individuals’ linguistic and cultural specificities. The logic may hinder access by this population to the health system, especially by increasing the communication barrier. In order to meet the principles of the SUS in practice, it is essential for health policies to incorporate sociocultural aspects, respecting deaf individuals as citizens who interact with the world mainly through their visual experiences, where sign language is a central element.

Keywords:
Persons with Hearing Impairments; Deafness; Sign Language; Health Policy