Ugh- I keep coming back to this post and keep telling myself "really shouldn't post anything" but guess I'll go ahead and add my two cents.
Honestly, this article pulls me in two ways.
My first feeling is definitely irritation because it appears that this boy (now man) grew up without a lot of support/understanding for (or education about) his deafness and that led to his feelings of wanting to be able to hear because he wanted to fit in. The part about him having to quit sports really irritated me because as other posters have noted: deaf can easily play sports (might need a few accommodations but most of the time not really). Out of interest, I looked up "deaf baseball players" and found this link (warning- quite a few of the "old time" players had nicknames of "dummy" which I don't agree with, but we have to remember that it was an accepted term during those time periods):
Deaf Baseball Players Who Made the Major Leagues - InfoBarrel (not exactly sure how to add a link, but you can copy and paste into your browser if it doesn't automatically link it).
It turns out, William Hoy is actually credited with coming up with the hand signals used in baseball (although it is believed that Edward Dundon, another deaf player, might have actually been the first to use these signals, even though Hoy is credited with their creation). I think a lack of education on the part of the people in his life led to them feeling like he needed to be hearing in order to lead a full life.
I also don't really like how the articles are worded because they DO give the feeling that there is something wrong with deafness (or hearing loss) and that people that are dealing with it just can't function or be happy to the fullest extent possible. We know that is not true- there are many deaf people who lead very happy and fulfilling lives (and "success" or "fulfillment" is really in the eye of the beholder- they might feel successful or fulfilled while society sees it different, but the person who is living the life is the one whose opinion matters).
The second way I am pulled by this article is this:
I am proud in some ways for what this boy is doing. He sees a need (some families can't afford CIs) and wants to help and make a difference in those people's lives- so he is doing something to raise money to help them. I know CIs are a very controversial subject still and I understand why. Personally, for my own child, if her hearing loss was profound enough that the doctors were recommending CIs, I would not get it for her. There are too many reasons to list here (and if she were to become an adult and want one, I WOULD support her in that decision but I do not feel that is my decision to make for her) but I think it is important to understand my stance so you see that I am not "pro" CI. But, on the other side of that- I am not necessarily "anti" CI either. While I don't feel it is right for my child or my family for many reasons, that is not to say that it is not right (or the best option) for someone else's family. I believe that people should be FULLY informed and educated about BOTH sides of the issues before making such a big decision (and I know that people probably are not a lot of times because of SO many reasons) but I do support people's rights to make that decision for their family. And if someone decides it is right for them, but they don't have the means to afford it, I am glad there is someone like this boy who is willing to help out- the best way he knows how.
I guess I look at things this way:
People deal with things differently- for different reasons. Some people see a situation and have the resolve to work through it and make the best of it and learn to adapt to it. Some people see a situation and don't know HOW to cope with it- so they try to fix it. In the case of deafness/hearing loss- some people hear the diagnosis and it doesn't really phase them, they know they will be ok because they are strong and they know that differences are not a bad thing, they make us who we are. Other people, though, hear the diagnosis and all they can see are the differences, the "losses", and it is hard for them to see how things will be better without their hearing- they want to be like the "rest" of the world, they want to hear again. For children, sometimes, these differences are even more visible. Gosh, I don't really know where I am going with this thought now- I guess I just want people to see that there are two sides to every story, sometimes there are people that just can't HANDLE being different from the "norm". For people like this, maybe a CI is the best option. Because in the end it's about quality of life, and the only person who can decide the true quality of their life is the person living that life... I really hope that makes sense and if not, please ask for clarification. I don't want to step on any toes or make anyone feel like I am saying something I'm not. My daughter is deaf and I am proud of her and I have big dreams for her and I wouldn't change her for the world! But I can see how, for some people, the differences between hearing and not hearing are just too great for them to cope with and it is easier to stick with what they know (which in the case of most families is the "hearing world"). I know it might feel like people are rejecting deafness, saying it is wrong or "abnormal" or what have you, but sometimes it is just a matter of comfort/familiarity and not being able to accept change. Maybe that explains things a little better. And I am getting rambly so I will shut up now. I hope I didn't offend anyone because that is not my intentions at all
.
for the feedback. I didn't really mean to present the idea that there are ONLY two sides to the situation (but I guess I did). I guess I was just trying to show how there are at least two sides to the story, and the sides I was trying to show would be what I consider to be the black and white sides of things- life is definitely full of all shades of grey
