AW: [sw-l] Appreciating the cochlear implant

Valerie Sutton signwriting at MAC.COM
Sat Dec 6 22:32:13 UTC 2008


SignWriting List
December 6, 2008

Hi Stefan!

Thank you for responding to these messages...I am so glad you did....

Since you teach Deaf children who have cochlear implants (is that  
correct?),  then you must see it everyday from an educational  
perspective...

Val ;-)


-------------





On Dec 6, 2008, at 2:20 PM, Stefan Wöhrmann wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> great description of the function of a CI  Bill!
>
> The other point is the human being – most often today a very young  
> child. Of course – and who would not understand – hearing parents  
> suffer if they get the information that their baby is unable to  
> hear. Now medical experts explain that there is a solution – kind of  
> we can fix the problem. Now there is hope .... and depending on the  
> pedagogical concept these little children get in contact with Sign  
> Language – or not.
> It is true that there is quite a number of children who develop  
> hearing ( = they develop spoken language by listening to spoken  
> language ...)  thanks to this device and a number of other different  
> factors .
> The last aspect (... different factors) is the major problem. From  
> my point of experience we do not know in before who of the deaf   
> children will not be able to succeed.
> And that is the point. Children need to develop language skills in  
> early childhood. There is no argument whatsoever to accept that  
> children grow up without any language ... but this will happen, if  
> they are not exposed to a competent Sign Language using person ...
> I loved to read Bills list  # 1, 2, 3, .... a CI wearing child  
> being  deaf. ...and I agree – a child with CI is much better of if  
> he or she masters SignLanguage and SignWriting.
>
> Stefan ;-)
>
>
>
>
> Von: sw-l-bounces at majordomo.valenciacc.edu [mailto:sw-l-bounces at majordomo.valenciacc.edu 
> ] Im Auftrag von Bill Reese
> Gesendet: Samstag, 6. Dezember 2008 22:04
> An: SignWriting List
> Betreff: Re: [sw-l] Appreciating the cochlear implant
>
> Technically, it aids hearing so it's a "hearing aid" but it's not  
> like previous hearing aids in that it doesn't change sound in some  
> way to make it better understood by a hearing impaired person.   
> Instead, it delivers electrical impulses directly to the hearing  
> nerve, bypassing most of the auditory structures.  It does this in  
> the cochlea, the organ within the inner ear that does this for  
> people who can hear.
>
> Within the cochlea, which looks a bit like a snail shell, there's a  
> winding, narrowing passage through which sound travels.  Different  
> frequencies move hair cells at different points along that passage,  
> with the lower frequencies being in the wider part and the higher  
> frequencies further along.  These hair cells are like switches,  
> sending electrical impulses to the brain, which translates the  
> impulses to an image of sound.
>
> Depending on manufacturer, a cochlear implant inserts 16 to 22  
> electrodes into this passage, each terminating at different points.   
> A speech processor is worn outside of the body, either on the ear,  
> like a hearing aid, or on the body, like the older body worn hearing  
> aids.   This device is a mini computer that processes sound, turning  
> it into impulses, which are sent to a headpiece.  This headpiece is  
> an FM transmitter which transmits both power and signals to the  
> internal electronics.  The internal electronics then translates the  
> FM signals into the impulses which are sent to the cochlea through  
> the electrodes.  Depending on the frequencies of the sound,  
> different electrodes are switched on and off, resulting in a  
> simulation of the sound.
>
> Bill
>
>
> Valerie Sutton wrote:
> Isn't the cochlear implant simply a fancy hearing aid implanted  
> inside the body?
>
> I always thought of the cochlear implant as another kind of hearing  
> aid...
>
> Val ;-)
>
> --------
>
>
> On Dec 6, 2008, at 12:35 PM, Adam Frost wrote:
>
>
> Ha! The same thing could be said with hearing aids as well, which  
> was thought to be the cure-all of deafness much like many think  
> cochlear implants are now. Interesting how the arguments throughout  
> history stay the same, it is just the toys that change. ;-)
>
> Adam
>
> On Dec 6, 2008, at 12:27 PM, Bill Reese wrote:
>
>
> Gerard,
> Perhaps I should not mention that I have a cochlear implant as I'm  
> late-deafened and don't really fit into the category of a born or  
> cultural deaf person whose first language is sign language.   
> However, I and others in my ALDA-Suncoast support group have  
> cochlear implants and we all still sign.  It's pidgin sign, not ASL,  
> and used to get across what we are saying in English.  The implant  
> doesn't help any of us hear 100%.  For some, it's more like they're  
> deaf as opposed to stone deaf.  For others, they can enjoy music.   
> But when we're together as a group, sign language, speechreading,  
> writing notes (total communication) is what we do.
>
> I believe, just by the nature of that fact, it may be imputed that a  
> born or cultural deaf child who gets an implant and who is immersed  
> in Deaf culture would still naturally use sign language.
>
> A few things to consider:
> 1. At night, the implant is usually turned off and the deaf person  
> is deaf.
> 2. When swimming, the device is off and the deaf person is deaf.
> 3. When the implant's battery dies and the person has no spare,  
> they're deaf.
> 4. When they just don't feel like wearing the implant, they're deaf.
>
> In short, the implant isn't used 24/7 and sign language is still  
> needed.
>
> Bill
>
>
> Gerard Meijssen wrote:
> Hoi,
> In several discussions about sign languages and SignWriting, the  
> subject of the cochlear implant was mentioned. I have been doing  
> some reading on the subject. I find it hard to learn what a cochlear  
> implant does for someone who gets an operation and has one  
> implanted. I learned that the operation is not without risks and the  
> soundfiles that I listened to on the Internet do not give 22 channel  
> quality.
>
> The Wikipedia article is deemed to be not good enough. So I am  
> really looking for an improved article and also in a better  
> appreciation of such devices.
> Thanks,
>      Gerard
>
> http://ultimategerardm.blogspot.com/2008/12/cochlear-implant.html
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant
>
>
>
>
>
>
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