CI doctors and scientists do not care for Deaf culture and ASL?

[deafbajagal]

My friend sent me this:

Scientist of cochlear implant Dr. Gerard Loeb predicts the unsustainableness and extinction unsustainablness of Deaf Culture in the near future as follows:

Edward Dolnick's sense of historical timing is as acute as his sense of balance. The cochlear prosthesis , on which I have worked for years with many other scientists, engineers, and clinicians, will lead inevitably to the extinction of the alternative culture of the Deaf, probably within a decade. There will still be deaf people, some by choice and some because the technology cannot address (yet) some forms of deafness, but they will be so thinly scattered that the Deaf culture will be unsustainable." Gerald E. Loeb, M.D., Queen's University, Kingston, Canada

Source: Atlantic Magazine, Deafness as a Culture by Edward Dolnick, Editorial, Page 8, December 1993

It just reaffirms that the doctors see deafness from a strong medical point of view and probably want to see the end of ASL. Of course, doctors are telling the parents that ASL is a no no which is very unethical.

It is ironic that views such as this one is the underlying reason of why and how deaf culture EXISTS.

 

[flip]

It is ironic that views such as this one is the underlying reason of why and how deaf culture EXISTS.

I am not sure if I got you right, but if you mean deaf culture exists because deaf people are kept down I disagree. Oral people are kept down, but still not a part of the deaf culture, but the major hearing culture.

The core of the deaf culture is sign language in my opinion, not deaf people kept down.

I agree that views like the doctor made, is the underlying reason that deaf culture shows some hostility and distance to the hearing culture, making it more alien and indepedent to hearing people than it need to be, but hey, perhaps I am wrong and you right after all

 

[flip]

EEEHHH...due to my personal experience with parents who have raised their children orally, I have a hard time believing that they would oppose to it. I could be wrong but my experience has shown me that ASL has always been the very last resort if nothing else worked for them.

I have seen the same. Some hearing parents never accept ASL, no matter if their children becomes successful in the deaf community.

 

[jillio]

I have seen the same. Some hearing parents never accept ASL, no matter if their children becomes successful in the deaf community.

And those are the same parents, no matter how many times they are shown evidence of things like this, that continue to deny that attitudes such as this exist within the medical community. Living their lives forever in a state of denial.

 

[Drew's Dad]

The cochlear prosthesis ... will lead inevitably to the extinction of the alternative culture of the Deaf, probably within a decade.

Source: Atlantic Magazine, Deafness as a Culture by Edward Dolnick, Editorial, Page 8, December 1993[/B]

Looks like this person was dead wrong. It's already 5 years past 10 years having elapsed, and there is no sign of the deaf culture becoming extinct.

[Oops, I see litalia and R2D2 said this already.]

 

[rick48]

It is obvious that Dr. Loeob's 1993 view that the cochlear implant will lead to the extinction of Deaf culture within a decade is incorrect. Finally, after months of asking, someone is able to come up with a name.

But let's look a little bit closer at what has been provided, an alleged excerpt from an "editorial" from the December 1993 issue of Atlantic Monthly. Although I recall the Atlantic Monthly article and read it, I no longer recall the details of the article. It is my belief that what has been cited is not an "editorial" but in fact, a letter to the editors of Atlantic Monthly in which Loeb is expressing his opinion. It would be nice to have the entire letter in order to see the statement in its context but still Dr. Loeb is as wrong today as he was then to have thought that the cochlear implant would lead to the eradication of Deaf culture.

Just as wrong is using this partial excerpt that is 15 years old as proof positive "that doctors see deafness from a strong medical point of view and probably want to see the end of ASL. Of course, doctors are telling the parents that ASL is a no no which is very unethical." One partial quote that is 15 years old is not an indictment of an entire community of cochlear implant doctors anymore than are the hateful remarks from that time period of people such as Bienvenue and Lane an indictment of the entire Deaf Culture community.

The cochlear implant provides opportunities to deaf individuals that they would not either have or be able to obtain easily. Being Deaf and having a cochlear implant are not mutually exclusive. Attempting to use the cochlear implant as a justification to end Deaf Culture is as wrong as that ever dwindling portion of the Deaf Culture community that is still attempting to deny parents the right to choose the cochlear implant as an option for thier child

Rick

 

[vallee]

There are extremist in all walks of life. The use of fear is common to scare groups of people. ASL and the Deaf Culture are not going anywhere, anymore than cochlear implants and hearing aids are. We see and hear lies spread about ASL, CIs, HA, and deafness daily. The worst part is the same lies keep being quoted as facts. It seems we spend too much time debunking rumors and lies on all ends.

In my opinion what happens because of all these lies and insults to both groups of people, they regress instead of intergrate.

Thank goodness I refuse to regress. I plan on learning as much as I can about Deaf Culture and ASL. I want to embrace my deafness. I'm at peace with it. Some of my views have changed since joining alldeaf, some are still the same. The biggest part is the desire to learn and respect.

 

[TechBill]

That's hilarous!!!

Yes, I know it was in 1993 but there are still doctors out there today that follow this view. I dont know about that doctor himself, if he has changed or not but the point is that view is very harmful, in my opinion.

Names of doctors that still follow this view today?

.

 

[flip]

Names of doctors that still follow this view today?

.

I can name them, but what for?