Deaf Culture, Assistive Hearing Technology, & Sign Language

Let me make this clear, through out my blogs, if I state plural numbers in terms of people - it is generalized. Not everyone practices the same thing - if you think so, you're stereotyping, just like everyone else. What I say can also apply to people with disabilities, in their own ways.

I often wonder what's the hype about cochlear implants. Do I want one, no. Do others want them? Some, not all. Those under 18 years of age, do they want one? I do know that the option is available, if the family offers them and allows the child to choose, instead of making that decision for them. Are doctors always right? Are teachers always right? Are other parents always right? Consideration of all resources available is a necessity.

What is cochlear implant? I'm not going to write the medical and audio-physiological perspective, goodness, we get more than enough of that information nearly daily. That's not the big deal anymore.

But technologically, I say, that it's primary function is to "help" a person with hearing loss hear. That's all there is to it. Just like a hearing aid, body aid, and any other type of hearing assistive devices, even including the old fashioned hearing trumpet.

In essence, are we there to be what others want us to be? Will I have a chance to say "I am a human being, who is deaf, married, female, denmom, sister, daughter, granddaughter, bachelor of arts degree holder, home owner, driver, teacher, employee, sci-fi and techno watcher, music loving, voracious reader, and etcetera." No.......why?

There is one part that stands out and man, they sure do take over an identify of a human being. As if that's a big deal, ya know. I'm deaf. Yeah, so? All I need is basically, an interpreter, right to equal education as any other "regular" folks, paper & pen, maybe CART (Captioning Access Real-time). Anything that allows me to receive information that I cannot hear.

What? I can't be a female? I can't own a house? I have a job, you don't believe that? Why not??? Oh, I'm deaf. Interesting. Why should being deaf impede my life? Be a barrier? I, as a human being have overcome that adversary - but is it an adversary for me?

Oh, did I mention? I speak fluent spoken English, write well enough for people to understand and know words that some "hearing" people do not know, so how can I be any different? Oh, I have a severe to profound hearing loss, wear a hearing aid, and use American Sign Language as one of my primary bilingual languages. Being me doesn't sound wrong.

Coming back to the point, cochlear implant, my perspective - same thing as an hearing aid, which I wear. The hype for cochlear implant will go away; however, reading the Gallaudet University Protests brings me another "wonder" to consider. There is a choice to learn to speak as there is a choice to sign.

As it was with hearing aids, sign language was not important - speaking is. What fascinates me, is that the children who learn to speak, know less than those who sign or are bilingual speakers. Less time is spent on speaking but incorporating the education into the visual and building the speaking capacity. Oralists think that speaking is critical to functioning in the "hearing society". Cochlear implants (CI) propose the same thing; however, as it stresses, it aides the "hearing loss" "suffered" by the wearer.

How is "speaking" solely the critical aspect of functioning in a "hearing society", when one cannot function in the real world, basically they spent most of their formative years learning how to speak and not connecting the dots between the spoken word and the dots (education). I'm sure that this method does not provide much challenge to the families who actually do more than just "speak" but include their children in the family's daily lives.

Deaf culture, as any other culture, is fluid. Hearing culture is not exempt from fluidity. Technology is the biggest factor of fluidity and that is influencing every culture out there. Deaf culture has to understand what the "thorn" or "intruding foreigner" is before they can accept. Don't tell me that as a hearing person, that your culture is exempt from the fluidity of change. Read your history.

As with hearing aids, body aids and other hearing assistive devices; they are touted by the hearing people to "help you hear information that is lacking". What the reality is that, a deaf person or a hard of hearing person has a hearing loss, period. What loss there is, other senses and thinking processes will change to accommodate the loss, it's the natural part of life. How do you think "deafness" survived thousands of years? How did you think loss of limbs survived thousands of years? We have brains, ya know.

If there is technology available to assist with loss, great. There's nothing wrong with signing, there's nothing wrong with a culture based in visuality and tactile. Cochlear implants is nothing but an assistive device, again like my hearing aid, and yet more children are finding sign language available to them; but denied to them by the "hearing people". Sign language is not demeaning, nor does it lower the intellectual/cognitive IQ.

Some may dispute that; however, I know this: denied communication between deaf people and hearing people actually lowers the intellectual communication that can greatly enhance cultural relations. Denial of equal education in sign language is denial to be more than what we are "told" to be. Oralism is one way, cochlear implants is one way - what's missing? Oh any persons with hearing loss of varying degrees will gain visual methods independently to substitute for loss of information. Do you think that's stupid? If so, you need your brain reexamined. It is the most intelligent performance ever performed by a human being.

Is there something wrong with speaking? No. Is there something wrong with signing? No. Is there something wrong with being able to hear? No. Is there something wrong with hearing loss (varying degrees)? No. We seek avenues to help us adapt, is that wrong? No, it's the most intelligent and natural way a human can ever achieve.

I can say this - the more this human race tries to achieve perfection, the more human nature retreats to chaos. The a certain percentage of the human race hasn't learned much. Accept the humility, live the lesson.