I do not think that is what it is at all. I think a lot of people who come here seeking advice and comfort are people who do not know what it is like to experience Deaf Culture and the community. AD is one of the biggest Deaf Communities on the internet. Some people do not have access to any Deaf Community where they live. They may not know anyone Deaf aside from themselves. I have noticed an out reach of people who come here about CI who are Late Deafened that seek CI because that is what they are used to, hearing. Some people here need to realize that it is a hard pill to swallow to lose something you have had your whole life and everyone in your "hearing world" is like you. Then all of a sudden you are the only one like you and you have no idea what to do, who to talk to about it. By coming to AD they have people they can talk to, people to listen to them who have been through what they are going through.
The advice people seek and what people are wondering is what to expect. I have rarely seen if at all if people come out and say "Getting a CI is because I believe Oral is the only way to go." I do however see a lot of people asking about ASL and CI because they were once hearing and have no idea what to expect either way. Some people here and all over the place have this stigma where they believe that once someone asks about a CI or has a CI that they are shunning the deaf community by doing so, that is so far from the truth.
I can speak from personal experience when I say that I have inquired about CI here to find out if it is right for me. I am severely deaf now, as hard as that was for me to accept in the beginning, it is because of this website that it is easier to accept. I am CI eligible but I probably will not seek getting a CI until I have very little to no residual hearing left at all. In no way whatsoever am I wanting a CI to gain acceptance in the hearing world, having a CI just makes it easier for me to communicate with everyone I have grown up with in my life.
The gaining acceptance thing that you talk about is a gray area for people here. Like I said before people come to AD to talk to people that are like them or going through what they are. This is a forum with a lot of information and who are we to judge someone who is looking for acceptance. We all look for it some place or another and if people come here asking questions about what to expect and they get answers then this forum that we all love so much is helping someone. Its hard to go through something when people around you in your life do not understand. I was relieved when I came to this site because I wasn't the only one like me. I think that is what some of the members here have to understand. Some of us, Yes me included. Didnt grow up in the deaf community and its nice to come to a place where being deaf whether you want a CI or not want one, whether you wear a hearing aid or not, or even if they are here to inquire about things because they know someone for the information. Would you rather the world just be ignorant about it? You ask when things will end, when will the separation between Deaf who choose CI and those who don't end? Really that is what this is about? We are all one community within a planet of many. I love everyone for whatever decision they make, and essentially it is their own decision and what is best for each person.
I know someone will try and argue about children and CI but that isnt what this is about and if there is someone that is going to try to debate this AGAIN I will not look at this thread again.
You just gotta try to put yourself into the other persons shoes to understand fully why each person is here.
Hope that helps Shel.
