Researchers identify forerunners of inner-ear cells that enable hearing

[Jiro]

Yes, but a hearing person cannot claim deafness. I do see that as an advantage over a hearing person.

a hearing person can claim disability... there are far more hearing people than deaf people collecting disability pays...

and SSDI is not free for all. it's dependent on how long you work for and how much tax you've paid into. no work, no SSDI.

 

[Jiro]

The thread isn't about CI, it has nothing to do with CI. The thread is about research for enabling inner-ear cells.

then why are you going off-topic on numbers of posts? :roll:

 

[Frisky Feline]

a hearing person can claim disability... there are far more hearing people than deaf people collecting disability pays...

and SSDI is not free for all. it's dependent on how long you work for and how much tax you've paid into. no work, no SSDI.

one person who is about to release from jail and plan to apply for post traumatic stress disorder as a disability caused by jail. :|

 

[sheri363]

<snip>

I'm surprised not one person mentioned SSDI which a hearing person cannot get, this is probably the biggest advantage.

This I don't even think it's an advantage. The problem is collecting disability benefits sentences you to the whims of the over burdened social workers and a life of poverty. Here in Canada the recipients are poor and they would trade this in a heartbeat for full time jobs! On the other side of the coin, its useful as disability insurance but you'll be living in poverty. How can this be an advantage??

SSDI is American. Is it disability pension or is it disability welfare? If it's pension I would surmise it's highly dependent upon your lifetime earnings. How does it work? 50%? I have no knowledge of this but however I would imagine the pension is capped. If it's welfare then you're living in poverty.

So again how is this an advantage??

 

[VacationGuy234]

This I don't even think it's an advantage. The problem is collecting disability benefits sentence you to the whims of the over burdened social workers and a life of poverty. Here in Canada the recipients are poor and they would trade this in a heartbeat for full time jobs! On the other side of the coin, its useful as disability insurance but you'll be living in poverty. How can this be an advantage??

SSDI is American. Is it disability pension or is it disability welfare? If it's pension I would surmise it's highly dependent upon your lifetime earnings. How does it work? 50%? I have no knowledge of this but however I would imagine the pension is capped. If it's welfare then you're living in poverty.

So again how is this an advantage??

The advantage is only that you are entitled for being deaf which a hearing person cannot claim. It is additional income and while I agree it is nothing compared to working, I believe it is an advantage to have it. Other than that and the fact that you can sleep better. I don't see advantages to being deaf as another poster had mentioned.

If a person is deaf and does not wish to benefit from new scientific discoveries, it is a choice.

I do hope this research succeeds. I've been following the research at the Standford lab for some time, but I still think it is a long way from FDA approval.

 

[shel90]

This I don't even think it's an advantage. The problem is collecting disability benefits sentence you to the whims of the over burdened social workers and a life of poverty. Here in Canada the recipients are poor and they would trade this in a heartbeat for full time jobs! On the other side of the coin, its useful as disability insurance but you'll be living in poverty. How can this be an advantage??

SSDI is American. Is it disability pension or is it disability welfare? If it's pension I would surmise it's highly dependent upon your lifetime earnings. How does it work? 50%? I have no knowledge of this but however I would imagine the pension is capped. If it's welfare then you're living in poverty.

So again how is this an advantage??

Both being deaf and hearing has its advantages and disadvantages. We are all human and we just do the best with what we are born with. Many deaf people do fine but people stricken with terminal diseases don't do as fine so I would rather the money be spent on research for curing them, not deafness.

 

[Smithtr]

doctor doesn't work obssessive to *WanTED* it is not funny struggle to cure very serious deaf said no way. disagree.

we are know doctor sciences play on cure to something cure on test it is silly.... how where is evidence prove doctor lying! waste of time year..

 

[sheri363]

The advantage is only that you are entitled for being deaf which a hearing person cannot claim. It is additional income and while I agree it is nothing compared to working, I believe it is an advantage to have it. Other than that and the fact that you can sleep better. I don't see advantages to being deaf as another poster had mentioned.

If a person is deaf and does not wish to benefit from new scientific discoveries, it is a choice.

I do hope this research succeeds. I've been following the research at the Standford lab for some time, but I still think it is a long way from FDA approval.

I too do hope this research leads to fruition. As you pointed out it is a long way from approval and additionally it may not even pan out.

As for the advantages that I've detailed, they are admittedly trivial as compared to our daily struggles of coping with the hearing world but they are advantages nevertheless. I prefer to look at our deafness as half full rather than half empty. I've come across hearies who wish they can 'turn it off' but they can't. We can.

As an aside, I don't know how I would cope with being completely deaf and I will be someday. In my good ear I'm now severe to profound. I was born hoh with moderate sensorineural loss (~60-65 db). Today I'm now classified 'Deaf'.

I'm rambling a bit here. Sorry!

Anyway, my burning question is are there any real advantages to being deaf? Other than being able to 'turn it off' and being either an official or unofficial member of Deaf Culture? Perhaps I should rephrase this question. Are there any significant advantages to being 'officially disabled'? Even more significantly, are we a member of 'marginalized' populace? I would say yes whether we like it or not. We can't deny that. We are constantly trying to assimilate into the hearing world and most of the time it's tiring and frustrating. We shouldn't have to but we have no choice if we want to make a decent living rather than being dependent on disability benefits which I view as a fallback option. Yes it's nice that its there for us but at the same time I find it scary and demoralizing that I might have to down the road.

Both being deaf and hearing has its advantages and disadvantages. We are all human and we just do the best with what we are born with. Many deaf people do fine but people stricken with terminal diseases don't do as fine so I would rather the money be spent on research for curing them, not deafness.

I hear you about that. Focus research on the terminal diseases. You're right. No doubt about that. However if the 'terminal disease' is rare or even just somewhat rare, most R & D departments will not allocate resources to it as it is not economically feasible. However I've read somewhere that 15% of the population in the developed countries has at least some degree of hearing loss. This percentage is expected to rise as the population ages. It's akin to cataracts and this is now surgically correctable. Like cataracts, correcting or reversing hearing loss is where the money is. Whoever makes a real headway in helping us significantly comprehend spoken speech will be insanely rich. In this case you can say that our deafness is an advantage in that it's not rare.