Disabling The Deaf Community By Harlan Lane example essay topic

Cochlear Prosthesis Most people in American society prejudge the deaf community's world without really attempting to understand it. That's why the so-called "hearing experts" have come up with a device to help deaf children hear and speak. They don't understand that the deaf culture doesn't feel a need to speak. Instead they are perfectly content with American Sign Language (ASL) as an adequate and complete way to converse and express themselves. This misunderstanding on the part of the hearing scientific community has resulted in the invention of a device called a cochlear prosthesis. It's designed to remedy a disability, but I believe it is a major setback to the deaf cultures values.

While the hearing people feel that all the deaf should have the desire to speak, the deaf culture itself condemns those that are deaf who insist upon wanting to speak. The deaf see these people as having no pride in themselves. They are strong in their belief that full communication can happen through spoken language and ASL. This is why the deaf are against the implantation of a cochlear prosthesis into young deaf children.

They agree it will only cause them to have a false sense of being, and create in them the notion that it's not O.K. to be deaf. Harlan Lane explains that the implant is a drastic surgical procedure in which a wire is inserted into the inner ear and into the cochlea. This wire transmits electrical signals into the ear with the intent of converting the signals into sound. However, it usually destroys any normal sense of hearing a child may have had previously. It also prevents the child from ever feeling natural again because of the large device installed on their outer ear.

There are many risks involved with getting a prosthesis, many of which are still unknown. If you were considering getting a prosthesis for you or your child, would you do so if so under such circumstances' The normal life of a child who is unfortunate enough to receive one of these implants is drastically interrupted. Up to eight hours a day can be spent on learning how to speak and most of the time this isn't accomplished because of the poor sound quality of the device. They must endure many checkups throughout their lives to maintain proper functioning of the device.

This is time that could have been spent on education and other more enjoyable things to enrich ones life. Children receiving this device will unlikely ever learn ASL because of the time shortage and misdirected education. This could result in a child with no strong communication skills who would feel frustrated and unfulfilled with his life. If you were deaf, would you want a costly prosthesis that offers no guarantee of helping to improve hearing or speaking' I believe that in order to receive this device a person should be old enough to make this important decision on their own, perhaps at the age of 16 or 18. Currently parents may choose this option for their child as early as two to three years of age. The procedure has not proved successful in enough cases to significantly enhance the life of the recipient.

If this surgery were postponed until later in a child's life, they would have the opportunity to become proficient in ASL. Then, regardless of the surgery's success, they would always have a form of communication to rely upon. A lack of information is the reason why so many parents are having this done to their children. Deafness is not life threatening, yet doctors somehow make the prosthesis look like a life saving device. Decisions are made by families wishing for their children to be normal. This unfortunately is not the outcome of the implant.

In his book, Lane states that the child may end up not being culturally hearing or culturally deaf, and have emotional or identity problems throughout life. I don't see this as normal, do you' The lack of supporting evidence seems to be overwhelmingly high for such a researched topic. There is no proof that a child would be more successful with the implant, or that speech would be enhanced. There is no evidence that the implants are any better than conventional hearing aids, and there is no evidence that a child will learn any better with the implants. On the other hand, there is evidence that throughout life the child will only hear scratchy noises that resemble the static coming from your radio. I have heard the difference between normal hearing and hearing with the implant as demonstrated on a demo from download. com, and the device is not refined enough to relay quality sound.

A normal persons brain is able to filter sounds and hears what it wants to hear. With the prosthesis, you hear all the sounds around you, and in many cases all that can be heard are sounds that you can't begin to comprehend. Imagine being at a carnival, walking with some friends, and they are all talking, but instead of hearing them, you hear everything else around you on an equal level. It seems to me that this would be very unpleasant when trying to interact with your friends. If you were deaf, and your parents made the mistake of getting you the implant, you would be limited on what you could do in life. The implant could be damaged if brought around a strong magnetic field, inhibiting you from getting a job around such environments or even getting an MRI.

Also, heavy contact should be avoided, and this limits many sports a child would enjoy doing, such as football, basketball, or hockey. Now that you are aware of this information, I hope that before considering an implant for you or your child, you will discuss all the aspects of your child's future and the risks involved with a doctor, or with a respected member of the deaf community. If you would like to read other books relating to these issues it would be worthwhile to get The mask of Benevolence, by Oliver Sacks, or Disabling the Deaf Community, by Harlan Lane. Before having to deal with the responsibility, and the life long risk of a cochlear prosthesis, think of the impact it would have on your life or those you love.