Implants stir fight over deaf education

abslolutly nothing new....sigh....Just as with hearing aids, there's a HUGE range of functioning in implanted kids. Some are functionally hoh, but a lot aren't. There are deaf kids who are functionally hoh with HEARING AIDS, and yet nobody decried the use of hearing aids or said that hearing aids threaten deaf culture! I remember an article in my local paper that said that even with implants many deaf kids are still learning Sign and being exposed to Deaf culture. There are still many parents out there who are pushing/attracted ti oralism b/c it seems more "normal" but many parents are seeing oral as a good skill to have,and aren't anti-Sign. Oh, and the article doesn't mention the fact that only a very small percentage of those eligable for the implant have actually gotten one! Maybe that's b/c of high health care costs associated with the implant.....but of course the WSJ wouldn't want to mention THAT downside...after all it's a pro-business paper!
 
Oh, and even WITH the CI, only about 30% of all deaf kids are exclusivly orally educated...that's a tiny increase...even WITHOUT the CI there were still a significent percentage of deaf (ten percent if I am remembering correctly) who were orally educated with hearing aids!!!!
 
Oh, and this isn't a new thing....even without the complication of CIs there was still a HUGE debate on oral vs. TC....do we not remember the '70's and 80's and some of the 90's when AG Bell said that the answer was to be found in high powered hearing aids, frequncy transponders and oral interpreters?
 
I have a implant and its the best thing that ever happened to me.

I got it when i was 7....i WISH i could have got it when i was 1 year old...if i did, i would be talking on the phone and hearing music word for word on the radio.

some people will hate the implant with everything they have for the rest of their life, there's no changing that.

While i occasionally hang out w/ a group of deaf friends who are not raised oral, if we go out to eat in mcdonalds or a restraunt, they always make me order for each and every one of them, do all of the talking, and whatnot. Here they are begging me to do all of the talking for them, and they are against oral programs? if thats their way, why are they even asking me for help!? go fiqure - ignorant

I have a few theories on why people hate the CI so much:

1) they can not get the implant for themselves because of special reasons, so they are against it because they cant have it. Jealous type reasons

2) They heard too many Rumors from people who are against it. Personally, I have heard a lot of rumors ranging from the CI broke inside their head and got brain damage, to someone got electricuted and died while taking a shower from the CI. No, im sorry people, thats a rumor.

3) They are not educated on how a Cochlear implant works and think its all bullshit or doesnt work like it says. I have met a lot of people who are "WHY DID U EVEN GET THAT? ITS CRAPPY DEVICE", Well after talking to them for about 20 minutes, they now are impressed and half of the things they said were rumors and the other half was from being uneducated, they didnt know how it worked.

4) they think its the kids choice, not the parents. How many of you had hearing aides growing up?(age: born to 7-8 y\o) Was it your choice or your parents? See? Your parents chose that its best you get hearing aides. Its no different for the cochlear implant. Also thats why they are "parents", its their job to make choices for the kids because the kids are too young and immature to make decisions themselves. Thats why there's age 18 law when parents are no longer responsible. If the kid waits till he is 18, then the kid will hate the cochlear implant because your brain will not adapt to a cochlear implant as well as a 12 month old. hell, even my age 7 was not good enough.

anyway, thats my opinion and observations from having a CI. number 3 and 2 are the biggest faults in the deaf world.

to each his\her own
 
Here they are begging me to do all of the talking for them, and they are against oral programs? if thats their way, why are they even asking me for help!?
Click to expand...
Maybe they are afraid hearing people won't understand them.
 
Back
Top