Wikipedia says it is, citing the National Association of the Deaf's Community and Culture FAQ (among others). If you have sources that say otherwise, that suggests a NPOV issue with the "Deaf-mute" Wikipedia article.
There’s a few nut-jobs in the deaf community that cause a lot of trouble. The same people that are against “curing deafness” because to them deafness isn’t disability to be cured and any work towards that is an insult to them.
Not worth listening (ha!) to them and things like Wikipedia are just an outcome of their pressure campaigns.
Neither have I – but Wikipedia also cites the OED (paywalled, so I can't confirm this). If the OED really says that deaf-mute is used as a slur, then I believe it. Again, if you have positive evidence that deaf-mute is not used as a slur, then please correct the Wikipedia article.
Helen Keller was deaf-blind but not mute: she gave many of the speeches she wrote, although she never got her speech as clear as she would've liked. (See e.g. https://redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=8ch_H8pt9M8&t=124) Despite what the National Association of the Deaf's Community and Culture FAQ claims, deaf people can learn to speak: it's just a lot harder, since they have to approach it as an applied articulatory phonetics exercise. (Helen Keller used the Tadoma method to get information that a sighted deaf person might get visually: https://redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=GzlriQv16gg)
If you're neither a bigot nor a member of a minority group, you're unlikely to be familiar with the slurs used against members of that group. And, of course, different cultures have different slurs. The fact we've never observed these words being used as slurs doesn't mean they aren't predominately used that way, in certain cultures.
> Some consider it to be a derogatory term if used outside its historical context; the preferred term today is simply deaf.[2]
which refers to
Moore, Matthew S. & Levitan, Linda (2003). For Hearing People Only, Answers to Some of the Most Commonly Asked Questions About the Deaf Community, its Culture, and the "Deaf Reality", Rochester, New York: Deaf Life Press
and I am not reading that or considering it authoritative.
From 2nd ed OED you have,
deaf-mute, a., n.
[After F. sourd-muet.]
a. Deaf and dumb. b. One who is deaf and dumb.
1837 Penny Cycl. VIII. 322/2 s.v. Deaf and Dumb, In all these conditions of deafness, the person is consequently mute, or dumb. Hence the expression Deaf-Mute, as used in the continental languages, and Deaf and Dumb, as used in England and America. 1865 New Syd. Soc. Year-Bk. for 1864. 479 A deaf-mute child. 1881 H. James Portr. Lady xxv, He might as well address her in the deaf-mute's alphabet.
Hence ˈdeaf-ˈmuteness, ˈdeaf-ˈmutism, the condition of a deaf-mute.
1874 H. R. Reynolds John Bapt, ii. 109 The deaf-muteness of Zacharias. 1865 New Syd. Soc. Year-Bk. for 1864. 318 Congenital deaf-mutism. 1874 Roosa Dis. Ear 515 Deaf-muteism is caused by diseases of the middle and internal ears. 1884 A. J. Ellis in Athenæum 12 Jan. 55/2 This art [of lip-reading], the keystone of the modern bridge from deaf-mutism to deaf sociality.
which doesn’t indicate derogatory.
Plus I have never heard it used in a derogatory manner. Also from an argument or debate perspective, when stating something improbable, you should not be asking people to prove improbable things wrong and instead should be showing the proof of improbable things yourself
> In informal American English the term dumb is sometimes used to refer to other hearing people in jest, to chide, or to invoke an image of someone who refuses to employ common sense or who is unreliable.[9] In the past deaf-mute was used to describe deaf people who used sign language, but in modern times, the term is frequently viewed today as offensive and inaccurate.[10]
I have shown all of the evidence available to me. “I am not reading that or considering it authoritative.” is not a counterargument.
> From 2nd ed OED you have,
The 2nd edition of the OED is not paywalled. (It also has several methodological issues: https://oed.hertford.ox.ac.uk/oed-editions/oed2/) The Wikipedia article references the paywalled online edition, which is probably the 3rd edition entry. All of this information was available to you. Please do not accuse me of "just making things up" without at least checking.
