File This under "THAT SUCKS!"

[Prudence]

What's been explained to me is that it's considered, by some, to be turning your back on the community. Not just that, but having one's self surgically altered to be part of the majority group -- like having surgery to make one's self look more caucasian.

I think the reason there's such a reaction to cochlear implants and not, for example, to surgery to correct vision is that deafness impacts communication. Yes, I know that deaf people read, but the easiest way to communicate with others is through sign language. Sign language isn't a word-for-word translation; it's a different language structure. (Is Braille a letter-for-letter translation? If so, that makes this argument even stronger.) Communication is so central to cultural identity that this makes some sense. And in the deaf community, where mode of communication *is* the distinctive cultural feature, it's perceived by some as an insulting dismissal.

I guess it's sort of like "passing for white." (Yes, this is a crappy out-of-scale analogy, but it's the only thing I could think of that came close to the ire cochlear implants raise with some. Please give me a better example.) There are definite social, economic, political, etc... benefits to fitting in with the dominant culture, but fitting in is a rejection of the minority culture.

[wendybeth]

You're right for the most part, Prudence, but there are so many other factors at play here. The Deaf community doesn't think their hearing loss needs to be 'fixed' by technology and many of them are extremely nasty about implants- the sign for 'implant' is a negative one in itself. Their argument fall flat when one realises all the many tech adaptations that exist in order to help them get along in a hearing world- vibrating sleep alarms, lights that indicate when someone is at the door, the telephone relay, computers, etc. While the world is getting better at understanding Deaf culture and people are learning more about ASL and other forms of sign, it's very doubtful that the world is going to adjust to accomodate the Deaf.

Even though you thought it an out of scale analogy, you weren't far off with your 'passing for white' comment. I often describe kids with Tori's level of hearing loss as sort of 'bi-racial'- neither side wants to claim them, and they are often left out of social groups, etc, simply because they cannot hear well, or aren't deaf enough.

[BarTopDancer]

My HoH roommate wore hearing aids at home and when out with her family and hearing friends, but when she was out with her Deaf friends she wouldn't because they gave her so much crap about them. Without them she couldn't hear.

I was amazed at the lack of life-skills she and her friends had. It seemed their education at home and in school skipped right over it.

It's just so odd that she didn't feel the train comming. Even if she wasn't aware of the risks of walking on train tracks feeling the train comming should have caused her to turn around and see it.

[blueerica]

It seems odd that anyone would be on the tracks. They don't really mention in the article whether she was with anyone, or alone... If she was with someone else, what were they thinking not saying anything? And if she was alone, how do we know that she didn't mean to get hit?

I know we all assume it must be an accident, but we must consider all possibilities...

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by wendybeth

You're right for the most part, Prudence, but there are so many other factors at play here. The Deaf community doesn't think their hearing loss needs to be 'fixed' by technology and many of them are extremely nasty about implants- the sign for 'implant' is a negative one in itself.

This is part of where I was trying to go with the "passing" comment. It seems like the Deaf community thinks getting implants to hear better is like bleaching black skin to get ahead or getting eyelid surgery or other cosmetic "fixes" to non-caucasian appearance. I personally think that argument is flawed because ethnic disadvantages are largely, if not entirely, social; there's very little inherent disadvantage due to ethnicity. I don't find extreme nearsightedness to be particularly advantageous, so I wear glasses. If the reliability of corrective surgery improves (it's not so good for people with vision as bad as mine), I'll probably get that.