Cochlear Implants to Many Hearing Term Paper

" Nancy Bloch of the National Association of the Deaf agrees that the implants will not destroy deaf culture. "Deaf culture, with its rich visual language and heritage, will nonetheless continue to endure through the ages, even with new and emerging technologies." Hearing aids are already part of the deaf culture, and so too should implants.

Another reason why cochlear implants will not destroy deaf culture is that deaf culture is far from being homogenous. "There is no such thing as the 'average' deaf person," according to Jamie Berke. "Deaf people are oral, wear implants, wear hearing aids, sign, use cued speech, use ASL, use PSE, use SEE, choose to have active deaf social lives or choose to interact primarily within the hearing world." Therefore, deaf culture is as diverse as hearing culture. Berke adds that acceptance of implants is "the key to the deaf community's growth." Belief that the implants will destroy deaf culture is rooted in unnecessary fears that the implants will undermine the strength and integrity of the community.

Like any technological advancement, the cochlear implant causes controversy.As with any issue surrounding social identity, the controversy is valid and understandable. However, the implants can broaden the deaf community by adding to its diversity. Already, members of the deaf community range from those who have been deaf since birth to those who lost partial hearing in their adulthood. The integrity of the deaf community, as with any other, depends on inclusion, not exclusion.

Works Cited

Berke, Jamie. "Critique on Washington Post Article on Cochlear Implants." About.com. 23 July 2004. Retrieved online 8 Nov 2004. http://deafness.about.com/cs/cisethics/a/critique.htm.

Bloch, Nancy. "What long-term effect, if any, will cochlear implants have on deaf culture?" Sound and Fury. PBS.com. Retrieved online 8 Nov 2004. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury/cochlear/debate7.html.

Eddington, Donald K. And Pierschalla, Michael. "Cochlear Implants: Restoring Implants to the Deaf." On the Brain. Fall 1994, Vol 3, No. 4. Retrieved online 8 Nov 2004. http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/On_The_Brain/Volume3/Number4/Cochlear.html.

Nevala, Amy E. "Not Everyone is Sold on the Cochlear Implant." SeattlePI.com. 28 Sept 2000. Retrieved 8 Nov 2004. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/cont28.shtml.....