Today I came across a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from an organization called Audism Free America (AFA) . It is a petition requesting the FDA to establish an independent and impartial investigation into the long term physical, psychological, social and cultural impact of the surgical insertion of cochlear implants (unilateral and bilateral) into the bodies of infants, children and youth.
Audism has been defined as "attitudes and practices based on the assumption that behaving in the ways of those who speak and hear is desired and best. It produces a system of privilege, thus resulting in stigma, bias, discrimination, and prejudice in overt or covert ways against Deaf culture, American Sign Language and Deaf people of all walks of life."
The petition also reads, "Many scholars have referred to the recent proliferation of cochlear implant surgeries coupled with the oral/aural only movement (prohibiting of signing and over-emphasis of auditory technology) as a form of eugenics that may lead to cultural and linguistic genocide of Deaf Americans. Because these infants and children are unable to give informed consent and are being denied a fully natural and accessible language, cochlear implant surgeries have also been identified as being a violation of human and linguistic rights. Clearly, the FDA needs a more in depth consideration of the moral and ethical issues associated with cochlear implants."
Read MY Lips: "Hell, NO"!
I wasn't born yesterday. I did my homework. I was fully aware of the risks of undergoing cochlear implant surgery. I knew what potentially could go wrong. However, I was so deaf (and still am) that I tested within the limits of the audiometer. I didn't have anything to LOSE and everything to GAIN. I was nearly 100% deaf when I started the seven month long journey of GETTING a cochlear implant. I already had done the soul searching, faced my fears, cried, went through quite an emotional roller coaster, cried some more, prayed a lot, by the time I walked into the operating room. I had the unconditional support of my friends, family and co-workers.
I have had my cochlear implant turned on for one week. Hearing is such a priceless gift. Each day brings an additional gift of hearing. Recognizing a sound I haven't heard for years. Hearing a new sound and banking that sound into my hearing memory. I still plan to have my right ear implanted in the near future.
When I read the petition, all I could think of was the undercurrent of ignorance and fear running through this petition. I am all for nondiscrimination against any deaf person, whether that deaf person is an infant, a child, a teenager, or an adult. This petition is NOT the way to do this.
WHY would any sane mother, father, or legal guardian worth his or her salt, fail to exercise good judgment in deciding what is in the best interest of any deaf infant, child, teenager? You go through enough soul searching as it is, once you find out your child is deaf.
I vehemently disagree with this petition and want nothing to do with this. I wish cochlear implants had been available to me as an infant, child, or teenager. My parents would have immediately pushed for me to have a cochlear implant.
I'm going to say this again. If you are a parent or legal guardian of a deaf infant, child, or teenager, and you have been given the choice and the opportunity to have your son or daughter implanted with a cochlear implant, TAKE IT. You are seriously compromising your child's future if you don't. If the insurance companies turn you down, try again. Look for alternative sources of funding the surgery and cochlear implant. If I were as wealthy as Bill and Melinda Gates, one of the first things I would do is to create a worldwide charity to provide cochlear implants to all who qualified for a cochlear implant or two and who wanted one. I'm just as middle class as the next person, so unless I hit the lottery big time, this charity won't happen.
What part of "hearing world" did this author of the petition not understand? Look at the job announcements. 99.9% of the job announcements have this sentence somewhere in the announcement, .."the ability to communicate orally and in writing." We are in a terrible recession. It is hard enough for hearing people to find secure jobs and to KEEP them. Unemployment of disabled people is still at 75% of the population. The last time I checked, spoken English was STILL the predominant language in this country.
My parents wanted me to be as self-sufficient as possible. Part of that included being educated at one of the finest private deaf schools in this country, and one which still to this day, subscribes to the philosophy of an oral education. How many traditional schools for the deaf are still open in this country?! That should tell you something.
I AM NOT APOLOGIZING FOR GETTING A COCHLEAR IMPLANT!!!!
I pity the author or author(s) who wrote this petition. I'm still a deaf person with a cochlear implant. Deafness has been a part of me since I was 18 months old. But why allow fear and ignorance to hold you back from what could be your highest potential as a individual? I had NOTHING TO LOSE, and everything to GAIN by undergoing cochlear implant surgery.
Ok. Deep Cleansing Breath. I'm going to think nice thoughts and get off my soap box...
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