I really hate to seeing the hearing parents get the coclear implants for their Deaf / Hard of Hearing. They are ashamed to having their Deaf child in the pulbic. They hide their Deaf children to get them cochlear implants to fixed their ears to be hearing like their parents. *sigh*
As a hearing parent, and I can only speak for myself... I am not ashamed at all about my daughter. She is a beautiful 3 month old baby who just happens to be deaf. My daughter does not even have hearing aids yet, so it's too early for me to make major decisions, but if we choose to go with the cochlear implant, it's not to hide her, it's to help her hear. Yes, I want her to hear like myself, my husband and her brother. I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I don't think there is anything wrong with being deaf either and use sign language, but reality is none of us know sign language. I am all for learning it, I am looking into classes now, but I still want her to hear something. I only want the best for her. Why wouldn't I want her to hear? If hearing aids don't help and we choose against the implant, I would not be ashamed of her, I would support her and do whatever I can to help her communicate in as many ways as I could. I've already been to a deaf school, actually it's the one you mentioned. They are great!! I was there today and they are so nice and offer so much information, more than I can even take in sometimes. I am going to be so proud of my daughter because she is going to experience something I never have, and I know she will be fine whether she hears or not.
Just an opinion from a mom who is new to the deaf world.
I am a hearing parent of a deaf child who is now 10. He was deafened by menengitis at 18 months old. This is a good site with good information. But like anything, you have to weed out the good from the bad and also compare what you find here against other resources. As others have mentioned, you will find varying opinions here and they will range from the extreme left to the extreme right with everything in between. I never knew about deaf culture. It is something that is very important to learn about and consider. But again, remember that even within the deaf culture, there are extremes. Listen to all sides and then you can make informed decisions. By all means, PM me if you have any questions and I will be more than happy to share my experiences with you.
