I know that, Vallee. That is why it is very important for a deaf child to have that connection with the deaf community for the reasons you so stated. No matter which device they use, they will always be deaf and a deaf child should have the best of both worlds.
Having speech skills is good, but many parents stop there. They don't go that extra mild to learn ASL themselves or find role models for the child, so that child learns his or her native language. I've heard parents on this forum question.... "What if the parent doesn't know ASL?" Well, then that is where the deaf community comes in. If you expose your child to his or her language from an early age, they will learn it irrespective of his or her access to sound.
The child's well being doesn't begin and end with the ears or what's on them. The child's well being encompasses a whole list of things that parents don't always account for.
