So first off, let me just say that I am hearing and not deaf, although I do have a slight hearing deficiency. I am a former ASL interpreter from when I worked EMS and law enforcement and try to consider myself an advocate for the deaf community. A community, that is very proud of who they are and where they’ve been. It’s a privilege and a right to be apart of it, and one that I am proud to say, accepted in. And yet, this same culture is currently under attack.
Every year in the United States, about 25,000 children will be born either deaf or hard of hearing. However, of these 25,000 children, about 40% of them will be given a cochlear implant effectively allowing them the ability to hear. While yes, this technology can be life changing for the child and their family, at what cost does it come to? There is a sign of change on the horizon that should be made aware. Parents who opt for this implant, can then proceed and not have their child learn American sign language (ASL) and assume that this is a magical cure for deafness but it's not. In fact, some doctors are saying that realistically while some kids do well with the implant, most kids still have substantial hearing loss.
I honestly believe that a parent should be able to choose whatever they feel is right when it comes to their child, however, I also firmly belief that ASL should be introduced. This way, the child can be introduced to a total communication environment that focuses on an oral auditory approach. I believe in this total approach because it gives a student the ability to be oral and also use ASL so that the student can decide to use either when needed as their form of communication depending on who they are speaking with. In NYC for example, enrollment of deaf students in schools have dramatically declined. This then turns to the state cutting essential funding, forcing these schools to close. While your deaf child may go to a public school for the deaf, the school is forced to charge a tuition so that the school can go to the state and seek reimbursement. It has taken many brave deaf men and women to help legitimize ASL and the deaf culture over the last few decades, especially in schools. In fact, there is only one deaf university in the entire country, Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.
Sign language is not just a series of hand and facial movements. It is a culture, where the language is a part of the deaf being. Without having ASL, there is no culture as there is no longer a need for a native tongue. It is where the deaf member has an unlimited amount of freedom of expression and a natural way of processing words and emotions. It is how they think and respond because everything is visual. As I stated before, I have no complaints or comments on how a parent decides to raise their child as long as it is always in that child's best interest but don't strip away the one thing that makes your child unique to the world and a way to identify themselves with. At the end of the day, when your child takes the implant off, and maybe even tries to communicate with someone without them in, they are still deaf. And they will always be welcomed into a very proud culture willing to do what it takes to make sure this same culture survives and thrives.
