Cochlear Implant Opinion Summary

Deaf Decisions or deaf Decisions

Day one of classes and I really had no idea what to expect, especially for this one. I am a double major in English and Studio Art, so I came into this class expecting that I would struggle to stay interested. Luckily, that has not been the case! Similarly, I did not know what to expect or believe when we were introduced to the controversial topic of cochlear implants. In fact, I had no idea that cochlear implants were even controversial. My initial thought before the class was that they were helpful devices, but I knew so little about them. Now that that the class has progressed, I have read articles for and against the cochlear implant, and now that we have just recently heard from the Deaf guest speaker

The reading is titled Evolution of a Cochlear Implant Attitude by Mark Drolsbaugh. It is by far my favorite article we have read for class and Drolsbaugh is one of the most persuasive writers we have read so far. He is a Deaf writer who grew up with hearing parents. The article is about his stance on the cochlear implant, how it changed, and how he dealt with his son Darren’s transition into Deafness. What stood out the most to me when reading the article was this heartfelt statement by Drolsbaugh, “I love the Deaf world. But I made a choice. I chose the Deaf world. I want my kids to have the ability to choose, too. Which is why I made sure to tell Darren of all the options out there. I value his right to choose.”

According to the “Cochlear Implants: Realistic outcomes” Power Point, people really can and do benefit form cochlear implants. They are not these ominous evil devices, however we also learned that there are risks, especially when you choose to just go with the cochlear implant and the “oral only” approach. In the Power Point titled “Bridging the Gap” we learned that if parents choose to implant their child and pick “oral only” communication they risk hindering their child in the future if they decide that they want to learn sign language and become a part of the Deaf culture. This is why I really think exposing your child to Deaf culture is important, it all comes down to what the deaf child wants and giving them the option of having a cochlear implant and participating in the Deaf world.

When Rob Loveless came in and spoke to our class he told us how he felt as though he would actually have had less opportunities to become a professor at IU or to find his passion as a teacher if he hadn’t gotten sick and gone deaf. He was very persuasive as to why Deaf culture was beneficial, he told us how he grew up in a close community and how Deaf football was a great outlet and opportunity for him. This just convinced me more that the Deaf world really strives to make up for any loss of opportunities a deaf person might