feeble attempt at an unbiased opinion about the cochlear implant...

[Peter DeHaas]

Embrace  a more diverse communication model.  I know MANY people well  
assimilated in the "D" Deaf world with cochlear implants.
They have no hesitancy or delusions about it;  they simply enjoy the  
best of both worlds.
I know people that grew up with speech therapy and the oral method and  
they have no issues in the Deaf community whatsoever.

If a child is born deaf, there are undoubtedly some hard decisions to  
make.  (Whether you're a hearing or a Deaf parent.)

I know a Deaf family that has two children, one who is profoundly deaf  
and the other who is HH. The HH child has two
high tech hearing aids, receives speech therapy, is oral, and signs  
ASL with great fluency.  He coexists in both worlds.
I don't think deaf kids of hearing parents always have this luxury.

Parents resist learning sign, or refuse to expose their children to  
it, or they become paralyzed by the perceived "disability".

When I went to school I was taught that the cochlear implant was taboo  
and the Deaf Community would shun you if you got one,
and you wouldn't have a strong identity in the Deaf community.  That's  
a bunch of hooey.  A person with a cochlear implant has every chance  
to become
an active participant in the Deaf world and to become fully  
assimilated.  It's a choice.  Parents must be good advocates and  
understand the richness and diversity
of the Deaf culture and the importance and richness of ASL.  I  
understand the paranoia and pride issues; we must transcend for we're  
all humans just trying to coexist.

I think much of the fear of the cochlear implant, oralism, and the  
pathological view is that it will inherently destroy OR taint Deaf
Culture and devalue the importance of ASL.

Diversity is essential in all cultures.  I serve adults with deafness  
and developmental disabilities and it is my job to break down walls
and barriers that separate them from the Deaf culture and the hearing  
culture.

Historically it is understandable why the cochlear implant is  
problematic in the Deaf world.  It reinforces the pathological view  
and possibly
is symbolic in some way of the oppressive hearing society.  "D" Deaf  
doesn't want "H" Hearing to dictate how their culture should be
evolving.

...I tried to be unbiased....
On Dec 6, 2008, at 10:24 PM, KJ wrote:

> I don't think anyone can give an unbiased opinion about cochlear  
> implants!
>
> KJ
>
>
> .  ----- Original Message -----
> From: Adam Frost
> To: SignWriting List
> Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 1:31 PM
> Subject: Re: [sw-l] Appreciating the cochlear implant
>
> Well, I don't know how much help I can be with providing neutral,  
> factual information as I am biased being a Deaf person strongly  
> imbedded in the Deaf World and still very successful in the Hearing  
> World such that getting a cochlear would be unneeded. I can tell you  
> this much that I know that besides all of that, I am ill candidate  
> for a cochlear because my deafness is as a result of auditory nerves  
> that never developed correctly. I do have to agree that many people  
> get very passionate about this topic. Not really much can be done  
> about it and is expected when something seems to destroy a way of  
> life. I know that hearing aids were viewed with the same passion  
> when they first came out.
>
> Adam
>
> On Dec 6, 2008, at 6:04 AM, 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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>
>
>
>
>
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