It turns out that Cochlear Implant video I shared the other day isn't all smiles. Apparently Cochlear implants are a major dividing point between the deaf culture and hearing culture. My fiance, Lorelei, is a Speech Language Pathology major at UGA and is also getting a minor in American Sign Language. I showed the video to her and she mentioned that she probably wouldn't want her child to get one.
I was stunned. I listed off reason after reason I would want my child to have one: for their own safety; to enjoy the sounds of music; to be able to interact with other hearing people everyday; to not have to struggle in life. She replied that I was only looking at this from a hearing perspective and deaf people would consider that offensive. She told me my aunt was very outspoken in her opposition to cochlear implants. Further background info, my Aunt grew up in a deaf household, has her PHD in Deaf Studies and she and my uncle adopted my cousin who is deaf.
At this point I just wanted to hear her perspective to see if she could reel me back in. I was lost and confused as to why anyone wouldn't want their child to have the opportunity to hear. So she began with the basics. First, being deaf isn't like being blind or disabled. Deaf people have their own culture, and many deaf people are very successful. Many deaf people can read lips and some can even voice. Second, not all deaf people are completely deaf. My cousin, for example, can hear at certain frequencies. They even can translate those sounds in to full sound recognition in some cases. Third, even if someone is an ideal candidate for cochlear implants there is a 3.7% fail rate, and if they fail your cochlea is ruined and you lose all hearing. No sound recognition. Just nothing. To go along with that even if the initial implant is a success you can still lose hearing down the road. That hearing loss isn't even included in the failure rate. Fourth, even with a cochlear implant you aren't guaranteed to hear as well as a hearing person. Some patients only see a slight increase in hearing. Fifth, its an incredibly invasive procedure that involves drilling in to the skull. Finally, a cochlear implant completely alienates you from deaf culture.
I was still going back and forth on the issue when she suggested I watch Sound and Fury. Sound and Fury is the story of two families struggling with the decision of whether or not they should get cochlear implants for their deaf children. I searched for the video and found this clip on YouTube.
It was at that point I realized how ignorant I was being. I just wasn't seeing life through deaf eyes. I scrolled through the comments and the debate was there, too. A few deaf people against a world of hearing people trying to explain why those children would be ok without the implant.
I decided to double back and check the comments on the original video and see if there was a debate there. Sure enough, eight pages back there was a comment about how wrong it was to make such a personal decision for a child.
This whole discussion really moved me. I feel awful for my knee-jerk reaction and it makes me want to dig deeper. I'm not really sure what the conclusion should be here, but I guess it's something along these lines. Think through your perceptions and then research both sides. You can be surprised by what happens to your initial perception.
Edit: I watched Sound and Fury and it's follow up tonight. The decision on Cochlear implants is still a hard one for me. I'm not sure which way I would go. The filmmakers seem to be pushing a pro-implant world, but my limited exposure to the deaf community has shown me that it is a beautiful culture we should cherish. Tough topic.
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