Student Research: Cochlear Implant Controversy

Cochlear Implants: Good or bad for the Deaf Community?

  • Good

    Votes: 8 44.4%

  • Bad

    Votes: 2 11.1%

  • Neither

    Votes: 10 55.6%
  • Total voters
    18
S

simplyROGUE

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Hey! :wave:

I'm a sophomore at SFASU (majoring in Deaf Education), and I'm doing a research project on the Cochlear Implant Controversy. I'd love to get some feedback, to get a pulse of the deaf (and hard of hearing) community on this topic.

Yay or nay? Is this a good thing for the deaf community, or is this really tearing apart Deaf Culture?
 
You should search the forum. Plenty of information readily available that should give you some ideas of the varying opinions and perspectives.
 
Csign: I already planned on it. But I wanted to post a thread anyways, hoping to get some responses/conversations going.

Frisky Feline: Yes, I am. I did grow up signing ASL, though. I know some about the cochlear, but have never met anyone that has it. And what I "know" of the controversy is only from books, not first hand opinions from real users.
 
:wave:

Cochlear Implant Controversy?

I'm sure if there was some debate going on you'd have found plenty of lively and passionate comments among the threads here on AD. But if you haven't found anything despite your comprehensive research, I suppose that means there isn't any controversy. :shrug:
 
Controversy? What controversy? We never argue here, we all get along just fine.......






:ugh:
 
Green427: I didn't mean to imply that there was a controversy currently... in the past, there have been when the cochlear was first introduced (from what I've read), in regards to Deaf Culture and the deaf community; big D, little d; hearing parents deciding for their deaf children vs letting their children decide for themselves as they grow older; ect, ect.

Here on AD, sure there might not be any. But don't y'all have opinions about them? If it's good or bad for Deaf Culture? For the community? Or if it doesn't matter at all?
 
I voted Yes> I have had my Cochlear Implant 5 years and highly familiar with the debate with SOME Deaf persons.
Harlan Lane's observation: Cochlear Implant is an instrument of genocide to the deaf community way back in the 90s.

If you read Michael Chorost's book" Rebuilt" Houghton Mifflin Boston/ New York 2005 has a couple of chapters detailing the discussion.

A supposition re Cochlear Implants-very few Persons implanted actually learn ASL et al thus the ongoing decrease in the "Deaf community"

Does the "uproar" on having young Deaf children Implanted indicate this? Discussion here in AllDeaf.com does seem "to suggest that".

Hope the thread is of some value.

Aside: I became bilateral DEAF-December 20, 2006
 
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Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

Honestly I think you're about 15years too late to be able to actually write on this.

It's simply not a big issue in the Deaf Community at this point. Are there individually who are opposed? Sure, but that's individuals, not the community.

With so many other more important things related to hoh, deafness and the Deaf Community - it's a bit sad that people on the outside keep dwelling on the "CI thing".
 
drphil: Thank you! I have read Chorost's book... and noted Lane's observation from other readings. But you're opinion is just as important :)

Anji: I do actually agree with that your statement, it being 15 years too late to write about this. Having been involved with the deaf community the majority of my life (since age 5) and taking ASL classes throughout high school and college (yeah GPA booster!), I can't tell you the number of papers I've had to write about CIs. Even without being a CODA or deaf/hoh myself, I fall into that sort of awkward "not deaf, not hearing" category, with my knowledge and passion for Deaf Culture (as I've been told) - hence my major in Deaf Education.

But alas... I still have to do a research paper, including AD as a source over CIs. Haha.
 
simplyROGUE said:
drphil: Thank you! I have read Chorost's book... and noted Lane's observation from other readings. But you're opinion is just as important :)

Anji: I do actually agree with that your statement, it being 15 years too late to write about this. Having been involved with the deaf community the majority of my life (since age 5) and taking ASL classes throughout high school and college (yeah GPA booster!), I can't tell you the number of papers I've had to write about CIs. Even without being a CODA or deaf/hoh myself, I fall into that sort of awkward "not deaf, not hearing" category, with my knowledge and passion for Deaf Culture (as I've been told) - hence my major in Deaf Education.

But alas... I still have to do a research paper, including AD as a source over CIs. Haha.
Click to expand...

I did not know that Internet forums were considered a good source for research papers.

You learn something new everyday. :)
 
simplyROGUE said:
Anji: I do actually agree with that your statement, it being 15 years too late to write about this. Having been involved with the deaf community the majority of my life (since age 5) and taking ASL classes throughout high school and college (yeah GPA booster!), I can't tell you the number of papers I've had to write about CIs. Even without being a CODA or deaf/hoh myself, I fall into that sort of awkward "not deaf, not hearing" category, with my knowledge and passion for Deaf Culture (as I've been told) - hence my major in Deaf Education.

But alas... I still have to do a research paper, including AD as a source over CIs. Haha.
Click to expand...

Why not just come out and say that the controversy just doesn't seem to be there any more? It still exists BUT, even DODA kids are getting CIs.
 
I am not sure I am the right person to ask since I am hoh and not Deaf but, I don't see an issue as long as it's your own to make and not making it for someone to young to make it for them selfs. If I were to lose all the rest of my hearing I most likley would get an CI because that's the way I live. That may change over time I don't know. The level of ASL I know right now would not be enough to get me though day to day. I don't think the deaf community is that much againist a person that was hearing most of there lives getting one. The big problem the deaf community has is when a CI is given to a young Deaf child. I see the reason for both sides and don't know what I would do if I was in that place. Implant or not to Implant.. At least thats my understanding of it. Anyone currect me if I am wrong.
 
The real reason for Implanting children is to assist them "hear" in their "learning to speak", The exact time frame for young children "easily learn to speak" isn't an "optional consideration" driven by" ideology".
aside: parents have the ultimate decision on this matter.
 
The controversy is not much over the issue of getting CI's. It is more about communication methods with deaf CI children. Many (not all) parents feel their kids are "fixed" when getting a CI and opt for no communication methods other than "you learn to hear and speak!" For some young CI implantees, sign language isn't used as an option which is a shame when their CI breaks or they aren't wearing them - they then have NO communication. That is where much of the controversy lies -- it isn't so much with deaf adults or the Deaf community.
 
If you are interested in learning about "the controversy", then in addition to the books mentioned above, I would suggest Bev Biderman's "Wired For Sound".

As drphil correctly pointed out, the decision whether to implant or not to implant resides with the parents. It would be nice to believe that the issue today regarding children and cis is more about post-ci communication choices then the actual decision to choose an implant for one's child, but as myself and other ci parents have experienced on this very forum, that is not so as. Often, our very personal decisions made with our children's best interests in our minds and hearts are still questioned and judged daily by certain members of the Deaf Community.
 
Rick 48-a "veteran" of many "battles" here.

Cheers old boy and keep it up for more in the future.
 
as you can see it really is not a controversy anymore. If you are going to write/research it then you need to do it from a historical perspective
 
soutthpaw said:
as you can see it really is not a controversy anymore. If you are going to write/research it then you need to do it from a historical perspective
Click to expand...

Good idea!

And, as was said by Anij above, "Are there individually who are opposed? Sure, but that's individuals, not the community."

Perhaps the OP can talk to individuals about their perspective.
 
Maybe also point out that there were simliar controversies when hearing aids were first introduced.
You could also do something like an interview with people who are against the implant for whatever reason.......
get a whole bunch of different perspeciives that way.
 
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