Deaf culture shows more prominent now than it ever has been in history. American Sign Language controversy cannot be hidden. It has a lot of air time on the news and the web. Plus, the world has too many Deaf people in it for the subject to be ignored. "Deaf" and "deaf" mean two different things. The Deaf are involved in the socially Deaf part of society who participate in the Deaf community. However, the deaf just cannot hear and do not participate in the Deaf community in any intentional way. I root for the Deaf. Anybody could end up being deaf, but would have to work hard to instill themselves into the Deaf community. It takes patience and time for the Deaf community to accept a newly deaf person, as with other cultures.
In my research, I have found that cochlear implants have become a real problem for the Deaf community. More and more CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults) grow up and have Deaf children. The CODAs' parents are thrilled by the news, but the CODA wants to give them what they think will help them, a cochlear implant device. However, there have been many cases where cochlear implants have torn apart families and damaged the child's esteem. I agree with the Deaf grandparents of that child who had a cochlear implant forced on them by their hearing parents. My stand on this subject sides with the Deaf community. Cochlear implants just try to fix the deafness, but instead it hurts the confidence of the affected child. (Noe "Letting the deaf be deaf", 5) First, I will show the benefits of being Deaf and not just deaf. Second, I will explain the device's inner-workings and the procedure used in which to install it. Lastly, I will explain how changing your child through cochlear implants not only hurts the esteem of your child, but also impacts your perception of them and their intelligence.
Many believe that being deaf does not go beyond the hearing loss, but it shows now as much more than that. Deaf culturists declare that their deafness translates into their very own "'ethnicity, with [their] own language and culture.'" (Tucker, 1) The Deaf enjoy being different than everyone else, claiming it their "'birthright of silence'" and get overjoyed when they give birth to deaf children, because they will then be part of the Deaf culture as well. (Tucker, 2) The Deaf Community have the same pride in their culture, language, and customs as a Cuban would have in theirs. Benefits come with being Deaf and not just deaf. They all make up a community, maintaining and protecting it. (Noe, "The mute speak," 1)
Being just deaf, you truly do not belong in any society or culture completely. Because of the lack of being able to hear, you cannot fit in to the hearing culture. On the other hand, you cannot really mesh with the Deaf from your lack of pride in your deafness. The Deaf believe that your deafness needs respect as a privilege and pride as a part of who you are. If one acts deaf only, they do not really have a community to dwell and grow in. They straddle the fence between the Deaf and the hearing.
Cochlear implants carry sound through a microphone that is held outside the body. This sends the sound wave signals through the speech processor and radio transmitter, thus sending the information gathered to the device inside the ear. The part inside the eardrum area feed signals right to the nerves of the cochlea, the part of the inner ear that takes in the sound vibrations. This device can only be placed through very intense and dangerous surgery. ("Cochlear's global implant recall," 1; "Cochlear recall raises worrying questions," 1)
The procedure begins with various exams. Next, the person getting the implant goes to be fitted for the device. After the size has been chosen, the surgery can begin. A surgeon places the metal device on the cochlea. This generally takes several days to complete all fittings. Afterward, the person returns about one month later to check everything and to be fitted for the outer parts of the complete device, the microphone and speech processor. ("Cochlear Implants")
The following photos show the device and the surgery process:
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The process of the surgery. These photos were taken during an actual surgery. courtesy of http://auditoryneuropathy.tripod.com/cipics.html |
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| Actual outer part of the device. The large circle is the magnet that attaches itself to the magnet inside the head. courtesy of Matt Knowles of aestheticdesign.com |
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| (from left to right) 1.) Inner ear BEFORE surgery 2.) Inner ear after incision 3.) Inner ear AFTER surgery courtesy of earassociates.com |
Now that you have read and seen the procedure of placing the implant, I will explain the psychological section of the procedure. The implant not only leaves disgusting scars on the implanted person's head. It also affects their psyche. One, it makes them feel like they will never be good enough because their own parents felt the need to change them in order to love them. Two, many implanted children tend to be made fun of because even with the implant that child still does not talk like a "normal" hearing person. You can see how this would affect an implanted child's young self-esteem. Best put, it makes them feel inferior because of their "fixed" disability.
The other half of the psychological part of the implant has to do with the parent. The parent had to agree to the procedure for their "broken" child to be "fixed." Thus, it affects their perception of the child without them realizing it. They feel their child needs to constantly work even harder to live up to their rather unrealistic expectations created by "fixing" their child. Their perception of them becomes askew, irregardless of how much they love them. They still feel like their child has a disability and still inferior to everyone else, generally speaking. (Noe, "Letting the deaf be deaf," 6)
I have thoroughly explained and researched my side of the Deaf community. I still stand with the socially Deaf on the cochlear implant subject. The surgery risks the esteem, perception, and body of the implanted person. In conclusion, I believe my position to be the best for everyone. I do not believe in changing someone just because of the inconvenience. I would not feel upset if my own child ends up to be deaf. I would teach them American Sign Language and instill them into Deaf community and culture. They do not need to be changed for the obvious logic that they were born deaf for a reason.
I am Myste of the Mystes of Time blog and I say, Blog About It! (c)
Works Cited:
1.) Noe, Denise. "The mute speak." The Humanist Mar.-Apr. 1996: 13+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2011.
2.) Noe, Denise. "Letting the deaf be deaf: reconsidering the use of cochlear implants in prelingually deaf children." The Humanist July-Aug. 1997: 13+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2011.
3.) "Cochlear's global implant recall." Australian [National, Australia] 13 Sept. 2011: 5. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
4.) "Cochlear Implants." www.asha.org/public/hearing/Cochlear-Implant/. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Web. 1997-2011.
5.)"Cochlear recall raises worrying questions." Australian [National, Australia] 13 Sept. 2011: 25. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
6.) Tucker, Bonnie Poitras. "Deaf culture, cochlear implants, and elective disability." The Hastings Center Report July-Aug. 1998: 6+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
I am Myste of the Mystes of Time blog and I say, Blog About It! (c)
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