Another interesting reaction was that of the deaf grand-mother after the surgeon came in and told the family that the operation went fine.
The grandmother showed her fear that when the boy would grow up, it would be able to speak and laugh at her speech.
I feel that this is a reason for some deaf people to be against CI. The fear that the other party will be more powerful than them. That the extra mode of communication of the person with CI will make the still deaf person inferior.
This inferior-complex is non-existent when one is within a Deaf community since they all understand each other and - perhaps more important - the outside world does not. The outside world is inferior in the deaf world since they cannot communicate with persons inside Deaf world.
I noticed this myself when my daughter was going to the "deaf childcare-centre" / kindergarten. I came home from a trip offshore and went to that school. My wife and Lotte - my daugter - were allready there.
Coming through the gate I saw my daugther who had an adult with her.
I said "Hello" and she signed back (and talked but I could not understand her)
That was the moment I knew that I was handicapped in this school, and that in order to communicate I needed to continue to learn sign.
So I wonder in how many cases the fear for CI is more the fear of losing somebody because the other person will be able to get beyond the borders of the Deaf world.
