CI vs Deaf

This is a hot debate in the deaf community. There is a lot of controversy between the older generation and the younger about CI or cochlear implants. Many of the people in the younger generations get the cochlear implants and live life like a hearing person. This can cause problems in the Deaf Community. The older people in the Deaf Community do not generally like the idea of the cochlear implants.

The newer generation of people who are deaf generally like the idea of the cochlear implant. It is a very helpful tool for them to communicate with other people that do not know sign language. It also can help them “fit in” better with kids in their school, if they are mainstreamed into an all hearing school. There is also more of a chance for them to make friends at a younger age. Kids are very judgmental and can shun other kids or cast them off as weird for the stupidest things. They have many good arguments for why they should get them, but a lot of the time that does not matter to the older generation of deaf people.

The older generation generally fears the cochlear implants. The people that don’t want them have a good reason. They fear their culture will be ruined. The center of every culture is a language, without the language the culture begins to fade away. A lot of the deaf culture is based around sign language, like with storytelling, art, and even their own music. It is thought of as very beautiful by many people, and the older generation fears of losing that beauty. Deaf people also tend to be very close knit in their groups.

A lot of parents that are hearing who have deaf kids tend to want them to get cochlear implants at a young age. This could be what the child wants, but also might not be. That is a very large debate going on in the Deaf Community also. They can get the procedure done with the child at about one year of age in the United States. It varies in other countries and from doctor to doctor. But this is a huge deal because they cannot tell you whether they don’t want one or do want one. The parents tend to want the child to get one for reasons similar to the new generation. The other reason is that they want to be able to talk to their child and generally don’t have an accurate perception of what it means to be deaf.

I don’t think this debate will ever be solved, mainly because it is completely based on a personal opinion. You cannot tell someone that they cannot get a new technology if they want to and are an adult. You also cannot tell someone how to raise their child. It is all a matter of opinion. Everyone has a stance on the issues if they are deaf because it is such a hot topic, but there will never be a right or wrong answer.