my son is deaf, finally

They are -- in both cases whatever the person wants to be and identifies as is being denied, Chuck.
 
My Son Is Deaf, Finally! (Now Subtitled)

Four years later after a hearing son of deaf parents was born, the time was right. His parents felt ready to explore the option and made the decision to go ahead with surgery for him in Brazil. Last week, he had his hearing inactivated indefinitely by removing both cochleae from the ears. He became profoundly deaf like his parents. They have been immensely blessed with the choice they made.

NOTE: Watch the movie to find out about the ending.

Video with subtitles (CC):
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YN5Fdz1En0[/ame]

Video without subtitles:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3wI8OPlULs[/ame]

Please feel free to leave a comment on YouTube.
 
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Chuck said:
It IS thought provoking but I thought the argument was lame. He tried to hide behind the "wait till he's 18" argument but cochlear implants is not disabling a child nor taking away his identity as actually taking away someone's hearing is. Of course being deaf is an identity but taking away one of your senses is not the same as enabling.

It's comparing apples to oranges and I thought his argument was complete bullshit.

For argument's sake, let's say cochlear implant surgery has advanced to a state that you don't need to carry a box or anything, they simply fixed the nerves in your ear and you can hear 100%, you would deny your child this?

If you would, I don't think you should be a parent.
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You've made a good argument, but one thing I'm disagreeing with that cochlear implant doesn't make a child disabled, however it does, cochlear implant does not magically make a deaf person hearing or healed. There are some cochlear implants people out there still rely on sign language interpreters. Remember cochlear implants may work for some, but not for all.

I do agree that deaf is a disability, but it doesn't impede them from accomplishing great things in life, it doesn't make them any less of a person or less able to contribute to society. ;)
 
I am really glad to read all these posts and to have my eyes opened even more. I would have appreciated the perspective of the person in video before too but being able to read and be involved in all the commentary here emphasizes significance of it. I think that thinking "outside the box" helps people to look more closely at themselves.
 
~*Kaelei*~ said:
A deaf friend of mine.... he's married to a deaf women and they both had a child together... they told me and my friends that they hope that the child is deaf, so it would be just like them. Well the child was born and it turned out that the child is hearing... the parents were so upset... they were beyond upset that their son is hearing, not deaf. I was just blown away when they told me that they're upset, that they wish that their son is deaf, not hearing. Even my deaf friends were blown away as well at our friend's reaction.

I have asked them why they are upset about their son being hearing, they told me that now they can't communicate with their son, that they won't be able to understand him and he won't understand his parents, and also that he won't understand the deaf culture. I told him that they can teach him the main language, which is ASL, and he can always communicate with you as it'll be his first language considering that he and his wife are deaf and that's their language. Also that they can teach their son about deaf culture, to be part of it because his parents are deaf and so on. Another thing is that they should be grateful that their son is hearing... because that means their son won't have to go through hardships that we deaf people have to deal with. But unfortunately, they don't see it that way.

Look at me, I'm deaf and my son is hearing... while I wouldn't mind if I had a deaf child... but I must be honest, I was relieved when I learned that my son is hearing, because it means that he won't have to go through hardships like I did. I don't want him to have to struggle the hardships that we deaf people have to go though. However, my son is learning my language, the ASL as I use it often in front of him when I have deaf friends over, and I want him to learn that this is his mom's culture, and that he'll always be part of it. I also want him to be involve with Deaf culture because it's one of his parent's culture and it'll be part of who he is. While he's still hearing... he'll also be part of deaf culture because his mom (me) is deaf, godmother is deaf, my friends whom he know most of his life and will are deaf.
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Yes, the hearing child will learn sign language. I have seen many kids who sign. However, I have seen a hearing boy who refused to sign. His mother is Deaf but she can speak. I didn't like that at all. I think it had to do with peer pressure. For a long time, I couldn't get over that. I just don't like to see a deaf person being stuck in between - hearing parents and hearing children and they all refused to learn to sign. That would be the worst possible place for a deaf person to be in.

As for the hardships the deaf people go thru, I place the blame on the hearing society as they usually refused to learn sign and refuse to see us as equal.

Edit: Don't forget that hearing children can be affected by deaf parents' hardships. The less the deaf parents earn, the less they are able to send their hearing children to college, thus the hearing children might not have a good job because of this.
 
Buffalo said:
Yes, the hearing child will learn sign language. I have seen many kids who sign. However, I have seen a hearing boy who refused to sign. His mother is Deaf but she can speak. I didn't like that at all. I think it had to do with peer pressure. For a long time, I couldn't get over that. I just don't like to see a deaf person being stuck in between - hearing parents and hearing children and they all refused to learn to sign. That would be the worst possible place for a deaf person to be in.

As for the hardships the deaf people go thru, I place the blame on the hearing society as they usually refused to learn sign and refuse to see us as equal.

Edit: Don't forget that hearing children can be affected by deaf parents' hardships. The less the deaf parents earn, the less they are able to send their hearing children to college, thus the hearing children might not have a good job because of this.
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I strongly believe that you are right about that. What about CI children that would affect in the family?
 
sallylou said:
Shel, thanks for sharing your perspective. I agree that parents should focus on meeting a child's emotional needs and building a child's self esteem. It's wrong for a parent to neglect a child's needs in an effort to make the child "acceptable." The issue goes to the heart of a healthy parent/child relationship. That's why you feel so passionately about it (rightly so!). Unfortunately, many parents don't understand this. Many people are recreating a less than healthy relationship pattern like the one that they had with their own parents. *sigh*
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You got it! I wish more people would see it the way you do. That is exactly why I see that ASL ought to be used in the child's life (meaning in school and in family). That is why I don't like to see CI in little ones as they have no say in it.

That is also why I don't feel close to my family. I always feel outsider in my own family and I don't like that.
 
Buffalo, the thing that bothers me about CI implementation in children is that some parents see it as the easy way out. Like learning ASL and finding an appropriate education are too much effort for the parents. If that's what the child needs, though, that's what the parents should do. Personally, I would move heaven and earth to have what my children need. We moved to a different state to have a more appropriate school for my eldest child. Yea, that was inconvenient but my son blossomed at that school.

Children's emotional development is so important because the goal is a well-adjusted adult.
 
This is ridiculous.

First thing off, people with CI do not get it because of self esteem issues. I did not get my CI cuz I thought it would help my self esteem.

Second thing, being deaf/Deaf is not a disability but it is an issue, because you cannot hear, and u have to work harder to be treated as equal. ie school, work, ordering out, going to resturants, going shopping in the hearing community. So it is consider a disability in some way because it makes you work harder to be able to live in the standardized world which is hearing and able-bodied and mentally healthy people, that is the world's out-take on the standardized person (normal person) so those who are not 'normal' is considered disabled.

If my child was born hearing, I will be ok with it, if my child was born deaf, i will be ok with it but I may be a little sad for my child because he will haveto live what I've lived through. But I will do my damnest to make sure he has the best life as he can have. I will make sure he goes to the best school possible, learn sign language, learn spoken language if possible, and learn both cultures the hearing and the Deaf cultures because you know what.. there is no such thing as just Deaf community. go outside and look around you, what do you see? do you see every neighbours signing, do u go to the store and see everybody signing, no so best to teach my child to succeed in both world so he can be successful.

hope im clear in my post. lol.
 
FireTiger said:
Sorry, I'm ADD and I was VERY VERY distracted by it. I was typing my reaction as I was watching.
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That's ok. I am deaf and autistic and have a few tics of my own. I was symbolizing my reaction to what you were judging in the most polite form I could avail myself of.
 
shel90 said:
If we can only stop looking at deafness from a complete medical point of view, then maybe more deaf people will have equal rights given. Unfortunately, too many people see it from such a strong medical point of view and cant get past that in order to give deaf people the accodomations. It needs to be changed but unfortunately, with the medical community's power over society, I dont think it will.
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The hearing people didn't want the deaf people to learn sign language because they didn't want the deaf people to use ASL as crutches. Now they want the deaf people to depend on electrical crutches (CI or hearing aid) that could break down years later. Go figure!

Maybe some deaf people would rather to use ASL but I would bet that some deaf people would want to learn to speak just because it is challenging.
 
omegaman said:
I don't know whether I misread (I don't understand sign language), but I feel very pissed off after reading what KarissaMann05 wrote. Those parents should not be allowed to have kids. I don't understand why the deaf parents should feel happy after forcing their son to be deaf. It is immoral. Nuff said.
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Not to mention selfish and child abuse. It's like blind parents forcing their children to be blind just like them! Anyone who makes their child(ren) disabled in any way should go to prison and have their child(ren) taken away from them!
 
Buffalo said:
The hearing people didn't want the deaf people to learn sign language because they didn't want the deaf people to use ASL as crutches. Now they want the deaf people to depend on electrical crutches (CI or hearing aid) that could break down years later. Go figure!

Maybe some deaf people would rather to use ASL but I would bet that some deaf people would want to learn to speak just because it is challenging.
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My old strict oral deaf school changed a new policy by selecting more CI children to enter the school because the teachers and principals saw most non-CI deaf people, in some places, failed to speak clearly and learned their ASL after they graduated from their school. That's terrible! The school should never discriminate deaf children. Are you burned out?
 
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