Do Hearies Have The Right...

To answer your question, yes hearies and deaf have a right to discuss cochlear implants. Notice the word discuss. The final decision is made by the family. They are the ones who live with the hearing loss. Not just the individual who gets the CI.

There are so many people not involve in the Deaf Community. So should people you don't know have an input into your choice of getting hearing aids or cochlear implants? I for one don't want others to protest or debate my choice in CIs. I'm not a guinea pig, I am a person and my family and I made the choice. I feel the same way about children and their families.

Cochlear implants are a personal choice. Personal! For many of us we spend years making this choice, so yes debate all you want, just don't ridicule our choices.

I don't see the Deaf Culture going anywhere. If anything, it will get stronger. People with cochlear implants are deaf, many of us want to be involve in a Community that accepts us. So now it is up to the Deaf Community and the CI/HA Community build bridges. We need to make in the middle and accept and respect each other.

Of course this is my opinion.
 
AquaBlue said:
Will the CI technology bring an end to the Deaf culture as we know it?
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No, because to me cochlear implant is just another type of hearing aid that involves surgery but it functions differently than a regular hearing aid. Cochlear Implant and hearing aid technologies does help a deaf person hear well, so I don't see how cochlear implants would bring an end to the Deaf Community..
 
Angel said:
No, because to me cochlear implant is just another type of hearing aid that involves surgery but it functions differently than a regular hearing aid. Cochlear Implant and hearing aid technologies does help a deaf person hear well, so I don't see that cochlear implants bring an end to the Deaf Community..
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Great news! I would NEVER want the Deaf Culture to end either.
 
Yes hearies can have opinion, some of them are involved with deaf community, or related to deaf person with CI, or married/engaged to deaf person with CI, or friend with one or any type of relationship.

Also NO about CI ending the deaf culture, remember there is anti-CI people, hard of hearing people, or CI failure people. CI is only for bilateral severe/profound loss and there's plenty that have hearing loss that don't fall in those range, and there's a lot of people that don't qualified for CI so its silly question. Same way for ASL its not fading away at all, its getting popular, its 4th most popular language in USA!
 
AquaBlue said:
...to express their own personal views on CI? Isn't that a Deaf issue (exclusively)?
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I know my answer will not please members. But, I have to be honest with my opinion. I'm somewhat in the middle, because they don't know what is it like to be deaf, Unfortunately when deaf are born to hearing parents, Some deafs are sometimes forced to live a life like a hearing person simply because their parents cannot understand why they must learn sign language, they don't understand our culture, our needs the barrier to communicate, so they slapped them with cochlear implants and reply only on spoken language and hearing. If you have seen the movie "Sound and Fury" You'll understand how it irritate me seeing parents not learning any sign language.

It's the same as people who aren't blind, they don't know what it is like to be blind because of that they share no common interests as those who experience being blind. It's the same as hearing parents they don't wear cochlear implant, and they're not deaf either, so what do they know any more than what we don't know? We know cochlear implant is a device just like hearing aids is a device to help deaf people hear, maybe better or maybe more than without the use of device.
 
Well, yea cuz if they have deaf children. I just would hope they get fully informed of their options before implanting their children.
 
Cheri said:
I know my answer will not please members. But, I have to be honest with my opinion. I'm somewhat in the middle, because they don't know what is it like to be deaf, Unfortunately when deaf are born to hearing parents, Some deafs are sometimes forced to live a life like a hearing person simply because their parents cannot understand why they must learn sign language, they don't understand our culture, our needs the barrier to communicate, so they slapped them with cochlear implants and reply only on spoken language and hearing. If you have seen the movie "Sound and Fury" You'll understand how it irritate me seeing parents not learning any sign language.

It's the same as people who aren't blind, they don't know what it is like to be blind because of that they share no common interests as those who experience being blind. It's the same as hearing parents they don't wear cochlear implant, and they're not deaf either, so what do they know any more than what we don't know? We know cochlear implant is a device just like hearing aids is a device to help deaf people hear, maybe better or maybe more than without the use of device.
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U have a very good point there Cheri. It is a tough situation, isnt it?
 
Cheri said:
I know my answer will not please members. But, I have to be honest with my opinion. I'm somewhat in the middle, because they don't know what is it like to be deaf, Unfortunately when deaf are born to hearing parents, Some deafs are sometimes forced to live a life like a hearing person simply because their parents cannot understand why they must learn sign language, they don't understand our culture, our needs the barrier to communicate, so they slapped them with cochlear implants and reply only on spoken language and hearing. If you have seen the movie "Sound and Fury" You'll understand how it irritate me seeing parents not learning any sign language.

It's the same as people who aren't blind, they don't know what it is like to be blind because of that they share no common interests as those who experience being blind. It's the same as hearing parents they don't wear cochlear implant, and they're not deaf either, so what do they know any more than what we don't know? We know cochlear implant is a device just like hearing aids is a device to help deaf people hear, maybe better or maybe more than without the use of device.
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:ty: Thank you for being honest with your opinion.
 
Angel said:
Of course they have a right to express their view on cochlear implants afterall, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
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I agree with you Angel, we all have a right to express our opinion especially here in the US isn't this reason our country was formed.

And also a mother of 2 oral deaf teenagers with implants. I better be informed and of course I have an opinion.
 
AquaBlue said:
Yeah but isn't that issue reserved only for the Deaf community? What I mean is that hearing people's opinions are really worthless when it comes to making (by the deaf person) the choice of having an implant or not. Having a CI is a very personal thing and hearies opinions aren't worthy at all- or to a lesser extent.

That's my initial thinking. This thread will instruct me in adjusting that thinking or not. Thanks for your input.
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So I have a question, do you feel that a deaf person has the right to express an opinion on another deaf person that has an implant?

Why is it OK a deaf person to express an opinion on another deaf person implant.
 
neecy said:
I think that hearing people (especially parents of implanted children) have as much a right to voice their opinions about CI's as anybody. Its not strictly for the deaf community either, as many people who are deaf, or have CI's have never been directly involved with the deaf community either by choice, or by geography.

and I'd like to add - its also good to have a dialog going with both hearing and deaf - as it helps breach the barriers and prevent misunderstandings - and there are still a lot of people who become deaf later in life...having had the opportunity to participate in discussions about CI's with other people might make it less scary for them when they realize that there ARE options available to them, be it hearing aids, CI's, or even just sign language.
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RIGHT ON GREAT POST:bowdown:
 
AquaBlue said:
When it comes to deaf children with hearing parents who are thinking CI, then I agree that the parent’s opinions are important. But what about an independent adult who is deaf or HOH? Would a hearies advice be critical then?
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I am not sure in that case. I think it would depend on the hearies is and what type of info they have, and what their interest is in it.
 
AquaBlue said:
Is it true that those deaf folks that have had the implant hear only slighly better than before- if they heard faint sounds prior to the operation? If the answer is yes, then they would still have to rely on lip reading and sign to function. Do I have that straight?
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No each person functions differently with the implant. My children are teenagers and both have implants. My son has a profound hearing loss so he didn't hear anything unless it was right next to him. Now I can call him from one part of the house to another and he can hear me. He can talk on the phone. It really depends on the person. But with an implant you should hear sounds from 20db to 35db across all frequencies.
 
AquaBlue said:
Will the CI technology bring an end to the Deaf culture as we know it?
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No CI will not bring an end to the Deaf culture. An implant is not for everyone. It is a personal choice. And some people with implants do not do as well as others.
 
AquaBlue said:
Yeah but isn't that issue reserved only for the Deaf community? What I mean is that hearing people's opinions are really worthless when it comes to making (by the deaf person) the choice of having an implant or not. Having a CI is a very personal thing and hearies opinions aren't worthy at all- or to a lesser extent.

That's my initial thinking. This thread will instruct me in adjusting that thinking or not. Thanks for your input.
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Actually, when people get CI... what they do afterwards affects everyone... including hearing people.

I have hearing friends who have deaf friends. They like those deaf friends because those deaf friends are true to themselves. They don't act snobby or have fake attitudes. They're friendly, etc.

What if a deaf person got CI and suddenly decided to stop hanging out with deaf people? How would that make the hearing person feel? Now, that hearing person has to deal with that deaf CI person and other deaf friends.
 
Ditto many of the sentiments that the hearing have a vested interest in having a say about CIs. In other words, yes they have the right to an opinion.

I can see parents of a deaf child, somebody in the family or close friends, and they themselves may need to consider it at some point in their life all providing the need to express an opinion on the matter. It is not exclusive to just the deaf world.
 
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