Cochlear Implants – Oh Susanna!
Denver – HEY YOU! Yes, you on DeafRead. Right – you. You’ve been browsing up and down DeafRead and discovered my article! And now I’m talking to you. YOU. No, no, no .. don’t need to look up or down at other blogs right now – we can do that later. Right now, though, your mouse’s cursor is looking sexier the closer it moves to the link above this blurb. There ya go. Faster, though. Harder! Do it. DO IT!
Haylo, everybody!
Sorry I haven’t blogged for a good week or so – I was busy snowboarding and doing undercover work on DeafRead. That’s right – I was investigating another investigation that was using ESP to conduct scientific research regarding cochlear implants.
Gawrsh!
Lots of people were angry on DeafRead last week! Some bloggers got more than they bargained for, and one comment made Susanna famous in the South once again. I’ll say this for Susanna’s comment, too – it was brutally honest.
The latest and trendiest thing to now do on DeafRead – publish comments in outrage! That sumofbitch! How dare he type that! Was it his intention to piss me off? Well, golly-goodlums, it’s working! How DARE he do that to me by making such a blasphemous comment!?
So, here’s Susanna’s famous comment:
… I think it’s possibly beneficial for the deaf community for you to post these blogs. But it may be entirely detrimental to parents who come across them in the early stages if they even consider choosing against a CI for an infant. That is my personal opinion. I am not neutral, I am speaking in favor of the choice which allows deaf infants to avoid such painful situations as Aaron described in his childhood.” Susanna
Okay, and this paragraph caused lots of people to spew milk through their nostrils in anger?
*spits a sunflower seed rind into a cup*
Strange how there’s hardly a peep raised when some Deaf bloggers blatantly make the same types of statements towards hearing people and even oral deaf people. But when someone non-Deaf leaves a comment that essentially gives as good as has been given, there’s this .. upwelling of … ejaculatory anger.
Personally, I think the CI-related fuss on DeafRead is just another one of those ados about nothing. Some people are trying too hard to be neutral; some people are trying too hard to cause Wal-Mart’s stock prices to rise by screaming, “Hearing invasion! Hearing flood!” at Deaf people when they’re not looking. In the end, last week proved one thing for sure – DeafRead still ain’t neutral because the editors can’t even define what “neutral” means.
I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee;
I’m goin’ to Lou’siana my true love for to see.
It rained all night the day I left,
the weather it was dry;
The sun so hot I froze to death,
Susanna don’t you cry.
Also, the same blogger who endured a slow burn for several nights over Susanna’s comments made the case that she was offended someone would challenge her neutrality and expressed outrage and anger. Even more strange is the fact the blogger – in the same blog article – decided that Susanna’s comment was the end-all-be-all piece of evidence of what the blogger was looking for – proof to discredit cochlear implants. And if you don’t believe me, check out this quote lifted directly from the same blogger’s web site:
There you go–proof that overzealous c.i. parents who push for c.i. are not being honest with other parents of deaf babies and kids because they are emotionally invested in propagandizing cochlear implants.
Right. So one commentator leads the “researcher” to conclude that all hearing parents of children with CIs are propaganda freaks, hell-bent on wrecking their children’s lives. And this came amid more complaints about generalizations of Deaf people from the same quarters on DeafRead who supported the “research” taking place.
Of course, the other thing is that the blogger pointed out why she cannot do “neutral” research – she has an invested emotional stake behind the “research.” Time and time again in the same blog article, the blogger addresses her emotional complaints regarding Susanna, which suggests the researcher only wants to address certain types of comments – namely those that the blogger can digest (or more precisely, any perceptions the blogger doesn’t agree with are omitted.)
Ironically, the same blogger is also an editor of DeafRead, and we all know how DeafRead is famously biased and ambiguous; so really, is it any surprise that a comment made by a single commentator would cause a flood of angry, emotional orgasms by a few bloggers/researchers on DeafRead?
We also find the intent behind the “research” was to facilitate “propaganda” (the blogger’s word – not mine) against cochlear implants. Hey, that’s how it appears to me, and if some people want to express their anger by prematurely gushing baby gravy because they don’t like what I’ve got to say – too bad.
This ought to be a good lesson for many people to learn: objective and unbiased research exists in scholarly and academic arenas. Research based on comments have always been viewed with a sense of healthy skepticism – something we’ve yet to see on DeafRead lately.
I had a dream the other night,
When everything was still;
I thought I saw Susanna dear,
A-coming down the hill.
The buckwheat cake was in her mouth,
The tear was in her eye,
Said I, I’m coming from the south,
Susanna don’t you cry.
*plucks an imaginary banjo*
So, Susanna (or Amy, or whomever you really are) .. thanks for illuminating all that’s wrong with DeafRead with your well-versed statement (which I happen to disagree slightly with, but loved the impact and honesty you provided): the editors suffer from a God complex.
Be good .. or be good at it.
Paotie
Sphere: Related Content
Ahhhh… welcome back. We have missed you and I hope you enjoyed the powdery snow. So it means you’d disappear more as long as there is snow, huh?
)
Well, I have to say something… I have to give Susanna some credit… she came out and told us straight that she was not neutral. She said it like the way she saw it, more power to her.
You know what, none of our comments are neutral also. Otherwise, we’d get bashed and scorned or praised and agreed with. Neutral means no em0tions, no passion.
I have to say something… the blogger you were talking about did a good job presenting the ci series and like us, she happens to be a human being with feelings.
Nothing is sacred… nor neutral in cyberworld
)
Meaning… nothing is sacred nor neutral in deaf culture… nor in hearing culture.
Karen ..
I really don’t think it was very good research, nor a presentation of fair and equal approach towards research. I’ve seen real research and that ain’t it.
It was a nice little run of “exploratory” blogging and nothing more or less.
Paotie
Hey, welcome back!
I, of course, missed you. Many boxes of kleenex are all gone! Yay!
Snow? I do not want to deal with the snow, I am tired of shoveling. I’m old and you better stay young and do the snowboarding for 24/7! Stay fun!
Oh yeah, the blogger you are talking about, survived the attack. I commended that blogger for going-through into the difficult times to make the CI survey into a reality. It’s a new generation that mobilize support the deaf community.
Oh, that darlin’ Susanna, *Good boob-shrugging* Eitoap Press Corp. would like to talk with you, darlin’ Susanna.
*laughs*
“Boob-shrugging?”
Sounds like an Olympic sport.
BAHH HAHAH HAHA HAHA HAHAH!!
Well, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions and the blogger in question would do well to remember that.
Paotie
Hmmm… at least she did try, to open the communication lines between CI people and Deaf people, huh?
Might have backfired in some people’s eyes while it might have succeeded in other people’s eyes.
Next time, engage brain BEFORE striking keyboard!
Mishka Zena never used the term “all parents”–YOU said it. Don’t inject words that weren’t there.
MZ (and how classy of you not to mention her by name) reacted to Susanna invalidating the testimony of someone with a cochlear implant, not once, but several times. Susanna aplogized, so all’s well, but here you are, trying to stir the pot. As usual.
We all know you’re biased against Deaf people, so it’s no surprise to see you dis another one.
“Gawrsh”, indeed!
Well, Susanna has a right to remain “not neutral”. That is, if she does not have any conflict of interest in her position. I didn’t agree wholeheartedly either with her views. Reading all pros and cons about C.I. is nothing compared to cold hard facts and I don’t think we’ve seen everything yet.
Someone said something to me a while back about HAARP and those that have C.I. are secretly being controlled (Mind control, if you will) by our government. HAARP – if you’re curious, google it. The potential is there. Not sure what to make of it yet…but HAARP is no joke.
Now, I LOVE watching X-Files show (I have boxes of X-files eposides), but I am not buying this HAARP comment, even though it sounds cool, science fiction and UFOish. Next thing we’d know, CI people would be viewed as aliens wearing human skins to invade the Deaf culture. I am saying this jokingly.
Oh no I’m being controlled by HAARP……….wait I hear it, what is that again. Say it louder……..again…..no that can’t be right….are you sure.. I finally got it,
I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee;
I’m goin’ to Lou’siana my true love for to see.
It rained all night the day I left,
the weather it was dry;
The sun so hot I froze to death,
Susanna don’t you cry.
that is it Paotie get this song out of my cochlear Implants, not one but both.
Paotie,
Since MZ started her blogs on the CI issue, I kept in mind that MZ is one of DR’s editors and that she has indeed a bias toward Deaf culture and ASL. I took her claims as being “neutral” with a grain of salt and felt that her ”research” was going to be filled with personal stories or commentary instead of actual research based on criteria.
MZ did not cite one piece of actual facts backed up by independent research entities, and the result was a lot of emotional hysteria. I’m not discounting the feelings of the people who gave their stories about their CI experiences, as Erick and Aaron did. In fact, I wrote one short comment directed to Aaron in acknowledgment of what he must have felt giving his story.
Nevertheless, I think it was not appropriate for MZ to call these stories as part of her CI “research”. They’re human interest stories about the CI experience, not “research”. There’s a difference.
By the way, note that DR editors just put in their blog above Paotie’s citing the top pagehits ever this month. Not a wonder…
I meant, “…top pagehits ever since DR began in 2006. Not a wonder…”
Ann C.
I’m just starting my research. So far I’ve portrayed four human interest stories. If you think they all were ‘horror’ stories, I suggest you check out my blog as apparently you have missed some positive ones.
I see that people are already biased about my neutrality. Please wait until I am done with my research before jumping into conclusions whether I’m biased or not. But I guess some people would prefer to see me biased *shrug* Good day to y’all.
Ha ha, Karen. HAARP is there and the ELF transmissions actually happens, but, does it affect people with ANY implants? I dunno. Sounds kind of farfetched, I know.
Shit! You rock…can’t wait to read more posts! Not going there about what you wrote cause I’m too tired, but I loved your style and honesty…Jodi
*laughs*
Well .. okay – if I must state the obvious:
Mishka ..
You admitted to not having been done with your research, and you pointed out the fact that I assumed something.
Nothing but for me to assume that you have bias because of your rant against Susanna/Amy.
A legitimate researcher would refrain from contaminating the control and test groups with their own emotional rants. An adjustment would be made if necessary, but for a researcher to impose their own views onto the subject matter and its participants is NOT objective, nor “neutral.”
The National Enquirer uses emotional “research” (ever see stories about how aliens abducted the neighbor’s dog and turned Fido into a rabid ladybug? – that’s what you’re doing) to spur sales of it’s tabloids.
It also seems to me that you desire to guide people to a pre-arranged designation against cochlear implants in general so that when you “finish” your research (whenever that will be, which has its own implications regarding bias and validity), you will simply conclude what you’ve been wanting to state all along – CIs are bad for you.
So, yes – you’re biased in my perception.
Go back to school or something, and do some REAL research to help the Deaf community – not this backwards witch-hunt that is intermittently interrupted by your emotional outbursts.
Paotie
Jodi, Paotie is cool… he challenges us to think and many people don’t like it and other people likes that.
Hi Paotie,
Loved the way you wrote this piece. It amazes me that everyone is so willing to go around in circles incessantly. Whatever happened to agreeing to disagree and moving on? Whatever MishkaZena/Elizabeth’s intention, its not scientific research, it’s blog research, gathering info from people online without getting a full account of their hearing history, medical history, personal history, language history and so on. Frankly, I think she’s getting too much airtime in the blogosphere. I also think that Susanna was unfairly villified and I don’t think she meant to downgrade Aaron’s issues even if it came out that way.
Everyone should let each other live and let live and be truly neutral. No one has the right to tell anyone else how to communicate or whether to implant their child.
Best to you,
Paula
You know, the hardest part of trying to dialog here is simply trying to keep from offending people. Some of them are offended simply because we are pro CI. Even though nobody should take our decision as a personal insult, some do. Well, it makes for an exciting afternoon.
MZ,
I did read the positive stories too. Nevertheless, I don’t think these stories add up to what anybody would call unbiased research based on objective criteria done by independent research organizations who have no emotional or financial investment in deaf issues.
Nevertheless, your blogs on the CI series do point out the need for such research. However, you as one who uses ASL and the CI implantees (with positive and negative experiences) you interviewed are NOT unbiased, just as the hearing parents of deaf CI children are not unbiased. To call these stories as “research” is misleading and feeds into more misperceptions about deafness. We are already having to fight enough misperceptions out there without having more added.
Yes, some of the stories bring up the discussion that there are not enough statistics on the negatives and on outcomes, for example. But the stories themselves are not what should be called “research”. Perhaps you have a different definition of the word “research”??
Paotie
There you go. I rest my case
Knowing you must have last word, I won’t be surprised with you continuing to dis me. You have already documented that you are biased about me being biased. We have seen you being unduly fond of jumping into conclusions.
I will conclude my informal sociological research….which is necessarily anecdotal Then everybody will see if you are right or not
I have better things to do than play your game. Have a good day, y’all.
Yup! Thanks for showing us the truth!
*laughs*
Right – “informal” means anything.
Sounds right up DeafRead’s philosophy that anything goes.
Paotie
Paotie,
I am so relieved to see you again.
Oh my heart throbs for you, wise and intelligent writer.
You were not playing a game like the others who love to smash others personally.
Sigh!
Gawrsh! Thanks for showing a first-time visitor the truth.
By the way, it’s not spelled P-A-O-T-I-E. It’s spelled P-T-U-I. Although, come to think of it, if it’s green, maybe it’s not spit it’s covered with…
Well. It should be interesting when Ridor comes back to DeafRead. I’m sure you two would have a field day. After all, you two are two peas in a pod.
Cheers!
*laughs*
You give us too much credit.
Paotie
Someone must be *green* with envy she got a head start. *Green,* get it? Yuk yuk. Naw, you don’t hold a candle to Ridor. Ridor has deaf culture and history, you don’t. But hey, I nominated you as a poster child for snow crab theory. Susana is nothing. Like parents will run to the blogs when they find their child is Deaf. Hearing parents can be so funny. Yuk yuk.
*laughs*
drmzz ..
You’re projecting once again.
Besides!
Some people have tried to insult me by praising Ridor like you just did.
And some people have tried to insult me by insulting Ridor as lots have done (though a certain Sherlock sure did an about-face now that Ridor’s “back”) before.
*laughs*
Ya’ll are a funny bunch!
Nice try!
Paotie
Seems like all this started with a simple poll survey or two of mine about whether readers would actually discriminate against non-Deaf bloggers to be seen on DeafRead’s aggregator list.
MZ, are you saying you don’t have a single biased bone in your body?
Yuk, yuk, yuk, DRMZZ?
I understand why I have called you a “Goofy” from Walt Disney.
yeah, yak, yak, yak, yuk, yuk, yuk.
That’s your personality, Goofy.
Paotie,
A few questions/comments…
You wrote:
===============
So, Susanna (or Amy, or whomever you really are) .. thanks for illuminating all that’s wrong with DeafRead with your well-versed statement (which I happen to disagree slightly with, but loved the impact and honesty you provided): the editors suffer from a God complex.
==============
How did she illuminate what’s wrong with DR? All she basically said was that it might be a bad idea to post CI stories that may scare parents into making the CI choice. How does that statement illuminate what’s wrong with DR?
What part of the statement did you slightly disagree with? Just curious.
God complex? C’mon…painting yet again?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ann_C,
The deafread blog announcing the # of hits was simply posted online BEFORE Paotie got his blog entry up…
We always post everything in the order they are delivered to us…
-J.J.
J.J.
It *does not* make any difference. LIfe after Ridor and Paotie came back to work on their blogs, the number of hits will be the highest.
We’ll see.
JJ ..
Yup – painting.
This is how it works: you editors say/do something stupid, I paint a number. You guys do it again, and another number is painted until eventually, the bigger picture appears.
Excellent! Thank you for your cooperation!
*laughs*
Paotie
There!! I rest my case… After the Erick thingy, I raised the issue of story being one-sided and then I got bashed by it from those closest to me! That is when I stopped commenting cuz I felt that I was being called something against me that I knew was right! But not only that but Erick is a lier flat and simple. The story he told was way different from the vlog that he bashed my wife with… Sorry, but the truth needs to be told. Erick said that his mother forced him and then the other story said that he did it on his own… It was just a sob story all the way. Tabloid story, big time!! What I wanted in the end of that story was things to look out for and questions to ask, not something was that was portrait as a horror story to scare people away…
*Signing “WHATEVER” with my hands*
You are hit the nail on the head with this blog! Keep it up!
You know something, I will never ever use these blogs as a decision making choice for getting a CI! No way, Jose! So, I hope parents are warned of this… It is just a place for people to feint their feelings. Nothing more and nothing less.
Yeah…Iread several versions of Erick’s story too. Ya know, that’s pretty typical….what else is new?
From my experiences with some people, when they are angry or in pain, their emotions usually distort their experiences. If loss of 2 cups of blood (one pint of blood, so to say), one would need a blood transfusion. So I am not going to say anything, because it is the person’s experience, not ours, so we cannot discount the experience.
But then when advocating in anger, of course, there is almost always the happening of twisting or excaggerating
the words to grab attention and to provoke strong feelings. Then, some words would not strike right to a normal person’s mind.
Karen, you’re too kind. Well, we do need more people like that in this world.
Thanks for that, Karen. And now you know why I refuse to engage is circular, inflammatory dialogue on these blogs about CIs and communication modes. People should seek out other people, not blogs online to do research on these issues. Decisions like these are much too important to be left in the hands of unknown strangers. Sure, ask for opinions, listen to personal accounts, but remember, you are not getting both sides of the issues when you do. Medical research, doctor referrals, etc. should also be taken with some grains of salt.
In the end, you have to do what YOU can live with. If it goes well, great, if it doesn’t, you need to feel that YOU made the best judgment for yourself. Pointing fingers and blaming others doesn’t sit well with me. I think I read that Aaron was part of a study. (Please correct me if I’m wrong.) Ok, but was he FORCED to be in the study or did he participate willingly? Did he make a decision for himself that ended up going awry? If there was medical malpractice, contact a lawyer, consult other doctors, get what you need. But don’t say that it’s entirely their fault. You have to make the decision to participate in something in the first place and be ready to take the risks that may come your way.
I have never advised anyone to do anything at HearingExchange. My answer is always, this is what I did, but you need to do your own research. Readers, please remember that. It is the most important thing you can remember when going through your hearing loss journey.
PS: My site is down today, 1/25. Please visit it another day!
That is the point Poatie is making… How can something be “research” if they are lies and exaggerations?? So research on feelings or personal experience is not research. More like presentations or scare tactics or whatever… So does that mean personal experience is not a fact?? More fiction than fact? Hard question to answer. That is what I like to go to Mike’s website for facts cuz he has a lot of backing on his words.
Karen,
That is how they are trying to control you. Don’t let them to win over your head. *Rolling my eyes*
20 years from now, everything will be back-to-normal routine as many deaf people *will* accept and live with the CI friends. We shall see…..
Yup, and when the older deaf people pass away.
Perhaps this fact scares them so they are protesting rather loud. I don’t know.
I used the term “research” loosely. When it comes to deciding on cochlear implantation, you need to realized that the 3 manufacturers have put together terrific marketing campaigns of brochures and dvds and will give you copies of research studies upon request. No one can say exactly how well you will perform with cochlear implants. People are individual. Some pre-lingually deafened people are better CI users than others. There’s no way to know how you will perform. They can make “predictions.” Thus, for CI research, people should seek out opinions and personal accounts from others, but they need to know who they are and what their entire hearing history has been and recognize that even if yours is the same, it doesn’t mean the outcome will be the same. There are risks to any surgery, that the surgery may have adverse side effects or injury and/or that the medically implanted device may not give you optimum results.
Thanks Paula for your POV.
No, White Ghost, my skull is too thick for anyone to get into, so don’t worry about it. I prefer facts, just like you.
What Paula said makes sense to me. Don’t limit yourself to only a few stories… go out and ask hard questions, meet doctors, interview manfacturers, etc… to make the informed decision.
Words are sometimes not enough.
Well, I do agree with you, Karen, but what I meant was that people need to recognize that the CI manufacturer brochures and dvds are marketing materials prepared to persuade people to choose their brand. That’s not research either, but it can be put together with all the other things you do to consider getting a CI. What’s important is to know who you are getting personal accounts from and how accurate they are. People online may or may not be credible, same for people you meet face to face. Put together a large amount of credible accounts and see what adds up. Search yourself and be sure you’re ready to make a commitment to something that may or may not meet your own expectations. You must also be ready to make a commitment of both time and patience. The CI is not a miracle, it doesn’t work great the second you are activated. The user must put in a lot of time and effort to practice their listening skills. Patience will also be key.
Yup!
According to one editor of DeafRead (JJ the wannabe painter):
“All she basically said was that it might be a bad idea to post CI stories that may scare parents into making the CI choice.”
Ok .. McConnell has already addressed the math behind that statement. This means that Mishka’s objective is based on an assumption and an emotional belief that there is some lack of “warning” to parents with regard to CIs in general.
But there was never a need to address such an issue on DeafRead, anyway, because there were never enough “pro-CI” people blogging, and those that did, invariably found themselves swamped by angry people who in turn, would post anti-CI blogs left and right.
Either that, or CI-friendly blogs were “accidentally” left in the “inactive” files – or some stupid excuse like that.
The editors must really think DeafReader readers are stupid.
*laughs*
Paotie
A few more comments:
1.) Paotie, you are a better dancer than painter…I really like how you dance around my questions
2.) I agree 100% that “human interest stories” do not qualify as research..but what is Mishka to do instead? Should she spearhead a full research group with actual researchers? I mean Mishka has limited resources and she is posting stories from people who send them in. I don’t take those stories as FACTUAL evidence, but rather as interestings tories.
3.) What I am REALLY curious about is WHERE are the CI kids? Are they too assimilated into the population that they do not consider themselves deaf anymore? I mean I have never met many CI kids before. Then again, I do not go to AGB conventions and/or meetings. I’d really like to see more CI kids..so far there’s only one woman on deafread and I take great interest in her postings. I have heard more BAD stories about CI than good…but I am wondering if it is because the successful CI stories aren’t such a big deal because it is like blogging about your normal kid? Or is it because parents want privacy for their children (which is understandable)…
What I am interested in is how well CI’s are working today…I have only seen 10-15 MAJOR success stories…and I realize that the most success comes from early implantation…which makes sense…
What I am wondering is if there’s more emphasis on hearing/speaking with CI than on education? Are CI kids on the level with their hearing peers in school???
Questions…questions… WHich is why I support Mishka opening dialogue…
Everyone needs to remember that no research EVER is unbiased…NONE. Show me a research paper and I’ll show you how it cherry picks certain stats….
-J.J.
J.J. Your points are good. That is why I appreciate for Mishka to blog about CI… since I knew that we badly needed to open communication lines, even though some Deaf people did not like it.
I can honestly say that I met many CI children… especially last summer when I picked up my son from AGBell’s sponsored camp, here in the state of Indiana (my son was the only one who did not have CI.) I was struck by how well they spoke and listened and I did notice the parents’ degree of involvement. You are right, many CI kids are assimilated into the hearing world which is OK. They looked happy and comfortable in their skin. But then that was my impression. I did notice that they did not sign (my son said that they knew “basic signs”.)
What if CI young adults choose to stay within the hearing world? Then we might not know much about CIs as we hoped. But I am sure in a decade we will know a LOT more and by then hopefully there will be widespread acceptance from Deaf people toward CI people.
JJ –
You have the valid points. We will see in 20 years from now.
I strongly support that Mishka to approach the CI survey in her blog. I hope she’ll save her CI blog for about 10 – 20 years *IF* the deafread still runs for another decade from now……
I commended Mishka for her courage on the CI survey. I do not care if people think whether or not she is biased.
Or is it cuz we deaf people scared the CI people away?? Do we warmly welcome them? From us few on this DR blog-sphere, I can safely say that it is not very much so.
Does DBC welcome them, no…
Did DR welcome them, no really, it took many discussions and notifications to get their blogs on-line.
Do the *D*eaf welcome them, no, not really – they (not all) still claim that CI people are not deaf people… Very ignorant of them!
The list goes on and on… And that is the sad part. It only takes one bad impression and BOOM! they’re gone.
There are ways to make them welcome or to even know that there is a deaf culture. I mean, I grew up thinking that I was the only deaf person until I was 25 coming into NTID. But then when I arrived, I was NOT welcomed. So, I can understand why CI people don’t mingle with us, except those few brave ones.
So, what happens?? It takes people like Mike and Poatie and even MZ to slap these ignorant people around, to make them wake up and smell the coffee! Still some don’t even get it!
*Signing “WHATEVER” and signing*
*laughs*
JJ ..
The reason why you didn’t see enough “negative” stories on CIs and children is simply because you didn’t try hard enough to look. Besides, ya’ll only recently allowed a few extra CI-related blog sites through DeafRead after stupidly omitting them due to “inactive” status (among other things).
If you guys had REALLY wanted to hear MORE from CI children and adults, you would’ve included them a long, long, long time ago. Instead, my 5 months on DeafRead has shown me that there has been FAR MORE negative blogging/vlogging against CIs than “positive” articles.
Go ask McConnell for more on that math, since he worked it out quite nicely.
You guys just want to continue trashing and bashing CIs for the sake of advancing your political cause (which also apparently includes Deafhood as one of your editors stated).
Mishka is biased, as you noted.
You might want to read the comments above, though I have a good idea that you rushed over the comments like a cat on a hot tin-roof.
Nice dancing there, JJ!
*laughs*
Paotie
Brian ..
Pretty good! Your comment and mine go quite well together.
Fantabulous!
Oops! I did it again!
BAHHHH HAHAHAH AHAHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAH!
Paotie
And I wonder, will there ever be a non-Deaf (hearing loss) blogger ever win a DeafRead award? Suppose a new category down the road that includes “Best CI Kids Blog” where kids with CI blog their own stories and news about CI and the successes they have had? Or “Best Cued Speech Story”? And what about putting these new blogs under categories such as “Best Advocacy” blog, or “Hearing Ally” blog, or under “Youth v/blog of the Year” that carried only subtitles?
Is there such a thing as a “tipping point” when it comes to DeafRead on the number of pro-SEE, pro-cued speech, pro-CI, pro-HA, and pro-ora/aural bloggers subscribing to DR’s aggregator list? Has DR ever consider that possibility which may speed up this year or next as word gets out? Will we see the day at a DR v/blog award show that a pro-CI person, who doesn’t know sign language, receive an for best “Advocacy Award” in person on stage in front of all those ticket holders sitting in the audience?
I wonder….
Sounds revolutionary, doesn’t it?
Actually ..
Why isn’t there such awards for CI kids, ALREADY?
Why isn’t there an award for CI-related articles, too?
Ohhh .. wait. It’s because DeafRead didn’t particularly try to include them or the CI adults, either (at least until recently).
What was Mishka and JJ saying? There was a lack of “negative” reports of cochlear implant stories?
Right. Right.
Gee. I wonder why.
Paotie
Mike,
That day will come if and when the Deaf culture practices what it preaches, that is, including and accepting the diversity of deafness.
JJ,
I’m surprised you know of only ten or so “success stories”. I know far, far more than just 10. They’re everywhere; it’s simply a matter of who you choose to interact with.
Aye, aye, aye, guys, guys, guys,
Reee-lalala-zzzz. Ph-la-eeeze!
Shall we wait for 10 more years from now if the deafread is still alive.
I am *PRETTY* sure that there will be more Ex-CIers and CI users coming to the DR. I am not *REALLY* worried.
About 20 years ago, there were no CI users at my deaf schools. Today many of them are now going to RIT, Gallaudet, CSUN and other schools. They have been really growing and growing…..
The relationship between the deaf and CI community definitely will change for the better and back-to-normal routine in 10 to 20 years from now. Still have a long way to go until we get there.
Comments:
-”Me”: Yup, I don’t know many CI success stories…and yes you are correct..it depends on who I interact with.. Unfortuantely, I mostly interact with people who sign…I do interact with hearing non-signers only for employment purposes or “small talk” here and there… Also, I never had a reason to be a member of the AGB association…I was raised via the total communication method…if I had been raised oral..I am sure I’d know a lot more…
-As to why there isn’t a “CI Blogger” award..it’s simple..we don’t want to divide people into categories. Hearing vs. Deaf is clear enough to be broken up….as is kid vs. adult…
-Also, in the past two weeks..we are seeing record high traffic numbers…I am only ASSUMING that this is due to CI people diving in to read DR…unsure.. Remember DR really does not know its audience…while I agree it is more leaned towards the “D”eaf community..but you must remember the beginning..it all started with the blogs during the Gallaudet protest and the explosion of it…which created the demand for an aggregator… DeafRead is only 18 MONTHS OLD!!!!!!
-Yes, I predict that someday a CI person will win a blog award. Remember the awards DEPEND on the nominations and the votes…which means it depends on the audience. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if a CI person won an award next year. That would be cool if you ask me…I’d vote for a CI blog if it were GOOD. I don’t care who the blogger is as long as it is a good blog..for example I almost never agree with Paotie and think he’s full of it most of the time, but I ENJOY reading his entries..it’s always fun watching someone dancing while splattering paint everywhere
.
-I am already seeing FAR MORE acceptance of CI than ever before..especially in the last decade or so. I remember going to a deaf party in the mid-90′s and seeing 1 CI person with everyone saying, “Check out that guy”…now if I go to a social gathering I see 5-5 CI’s and nobody cares except for a select few…
-Everyone needs to remember that only the EXTREMISTS on both sides feel MORE obligated to comment on DR than the rest od us moderates…there are more moderates than we all think..we just remember the extremists…it’s easy to see things in black and white…
-JJ
*Grin* JJ, you do like Paotie, huh? It takes certain people to understand his approach… I don’t fully understand him, but I get an idea of what he is talking about and I learn to read between his lines, appreciate his humor, etc…
Well, I had two glasses of Merlot wine with sloppy joe dinner, so ignore me. ;o)
JJ ..
You said:
“Everyone needs to remember that only the EXTREMISTS on both sides feel MORE obligated to comment on DR than the rest od us moderates…there are more moderates than we all think..we just remember the extremists…it’s easy to see things in black and white…”
Right.
Kinda like with Mishka overreacting to Susanna/Amy.
Uh-huh.
Paotie
Karen, LOL!!
Mike, Mike… DR doesn’t want to lose their readers…!! It will never happen until they have a hearing person on their team… Possible?? Yea, right, they would probably get sued for discrimination!! *laughs*
But yea, it is one awesome thought!
I *LOVE* changing within 10 years.
I am *Pretty* sure that the DR will change the strategy on these awards within 10 years from now.
I strongly believe that CI blogger will win the very first award next year or so. Time will tell. The awards are for EVERYBODY who earn the respect. I do not want to see the DR to divide the deaf and CI awards! No way in a H*LL!
*Evilly Grins* Patting on your shoulder and my other hand will make your hair and beard into a mess, JJ.
I have fallen in love with Paotie’s writing, even though, I do not agree with his views in many ways, JJ. I really appreciate his humors. So, I am with Karen and join yours for a nice dinner…..Excuse me, it’s a woman thing…..gossip, ya know? *Shush*
:-0
Karen ..
Have you tried drinking Merlot without sulfites?
A lot of people have problems drinking some wines because of preservatives and sulfites. Besides, organic wines taste better.
Personally, I don’t touch alcohol anymore but we do go to wine-tasting sessions when they have them.
I think wine making is fascinating.
Anyway, those of you drinking wines tonight – CHEERS!
And .. BOTTOMS UP!
Paotie
White Ghost ..
You’ve got a great sense of humor, too.
Thank you for disagreeing with me respectfully. It’s okay – we’re not required to agree on everything.
But if you root for the Giants in the Super Bowl, I am gonna keep the popcorn away from you!
Go Patriots! 19-0!
Paotie
Don’t know many success stories? There’s plenty of places to find them, especially online. Head on over to Cochlear’s site where they have many personal stories which are delineated by Adult Recipients, Child Recipients, Teen Recipients and Deaf Community (of which, unfortunately, there is only one submission at this time.) Here’s the link:
Click here.
Advanced Bionics has a slew of personal stories of CI users online as well as videos and links to blogs.
Click here.
Med El has user testimonials online.
Click here.
Plus, they have a large database of recipients which you can search by specific criteria. They have 115 pre-lingually deaf CI users’ stories online. You can do a search and read them by clicking the link below.
Click here.
Happy reading and learning!
I’m off to blog about this.
Here I sit and wonder, as I do many, many times, whether DR’s editors have their own internal politics going on when it comes to these blogs (espeically “non-traditional” blogs that cover CI, CS, HA, A-V therapy, oral, aural, etc…ad nauseum) and the arguments they’ve probably had. None of the editors, as far as I can tell, wear a CI. None, as far as I can tell, support cued speech. Or oral/aural. But are they, as a team, really “neutral” when it comes to having editors on board that are Deaf? Perhaps someday getting a few more of those volunteer editors will make DR more credible, as a team, that DR isn’t all about ASL or Deaf culture but a one-stop source of deaf and Deaf-related issues covered by deaf, hh, and Deaf bloggers?
One can only wonder at this point. Did DR bite off more than they could chew? Will the Deaf community retaliate by not supporting DR? Or will the “moderates” prevail and win more hearts than lose them? I said again in the past in my blogs, “Unity for whom”?
That’s the real question here.
Ov Yey! Both teams have the same three colors.
Where is Brady? He was not in his locker room for two days? Problem with his foot, huh? What was going on? Be with Giselle?
Poor thing, Patriots!
Me favor for the team….Sorry, NONE! So, I am in a neutral zone.
Thot “bottoms up” was a beer salute. Ever seen those old beer steins from Germany, the ones with the nudie inside that appears as you drink up the lager from the stein…oh, never mind.
Nudie mugs!?!
Really??
Please continue with your narrative, Ann.
Paotie
McConnell ..
One of the editors posted v/blog in which he celebrated DeafRead and added Deafhood as part of a component of DeafRead.
So, quite obviously, the “unity” they seek is primarily for those who believe in Deafhood – or at least as it’s defined by the original leaders/founders of DeafRead.
I think some people are confusing “unity” with fragmentation, especially on DeafRead and by some of the editors.
Until the day a C.I. person walks into a deaf event without taking their C.I. off for fear of repercussions, that’ll be the day! Last summer I went to CAAD, observed a guy strolling into the booth area with his C.I., set up his table for some vrs propaganda, next thing I know, he walks by me without any evidence of a C.I. We ended up chatting about the HOT championship game, and he was one swell guy! He can’t even go to a deaf event with his C.I. because he KNOWS what he will have to put up with.
I’m waiting for that day where all C.I. can be comfortable leaving it on knowing no one will give them crap.
That’ll be the day…. yup Foghat sang that song~
Interesting, Mike, “Unity for whom?” JJ Puorro seems to think DR attracts mostly the extremists from either side, the Deaf extremists and the CI/oral extremists, and that most readers are actually moderates. In just the last few months I’ve been seeing a few moderate bloggers coming on. A crack in the door? Maybe some readers are getting fed up with the extremism and countering with their own blogs with moderate views.
Deaf extremists want unity in their own circle only, which seems to narrow membership to the usage of ASL and acceptance of Deaf culture. OTOH the CI/oralists narrow their membership down by no ASL usage and speech only as requirements. The moderates are seeing a bigger picture of diversity and don’t require all this hoop-jumping. Think that unity will come with the moderates.
abolute Unity will never happen in the deaf community, Ann_C. And if it ever does, I’d be speechless.
Really, Paotie, it’s true. My hubby has a small collection of old German beer steins that have nudies in bas relief incorporated into the inside bottom of the steins. Some of the really old ones aren’t all that provocative, may be a half “bust” of a young lady. Others of more recent vintage have the full nudes. So as the beermeister drinks his lager and eventually drinks it all up, guess what he sees at the bottom of the stein– “bottoms up”. Such steins are highly collectible and are hard to find.
Ann ..
Really? Well, hell’s bells – we learn something new everyday!
I did yell, “BOTTOMS UP!” during a wine-tasting session that had everybody laughing.
Hehehehe .. I did enough “BOTTOMS UP!” during college to last a lifetime.
Paotie
If the deaf extremists who are against any of the TC, CI, SimCom, Oral, Aural(?) and others, invade the DR’s site, I’d run off, no more dealing with the deaf communism.
What do you expect, Ann_C? Look at North Korea, Cuba, and Iran.
Comments:
1.) Thanks for the links, Paula…will be reading them!!!
2.) McConnell…one of us has a CI…FYI. One of us grew up oral. Cued speech…doubt it…HoH…nope… Out of the 6…I believe I am the ONLY one of two who went to a deaf institiution…but I am not 100% sure…but I am pretty sure at least 50% were mainstreamed… all of us did go to deaf colleges…I went to CSUN…some went to RIT…some Gally… I did however g to Arizona State for a year…
3.) Paotie…a Patriots fan? Surprised…now I like you *A LOT* more……ok I will go take a shower and scrub myself HARD now…heh heh…
-JJ
Well, C, nothing is ever in absolutes. But the moderates are more likely to practice what they preach, to show by example and courage, and to blaze the trail for others who may be fearful of backlash or backstabbing. Not going to happen overnight, but those who persevere as moderates will see a lot of changes in the next 10 years, like White Ghost believes. “Speechless”, a pun intended?
White Ghost, remember the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, and the Soviet Union as a communist country ceased to exist some time shortly after. I thot we were talking about DR, by the way.
But who knows, maybe with the internet starting to replace traditional forums for info and opinions, that DR may some day become an influential source of diverse news and info that will cover the entire spectrum of the deaf community, not just one aspect of it. Like an internet CNN of deaf news/opinions.
Ann_C
Oh yeah!
Think about the Oscar awards. Back then, there were all-white winners and nominators.
Almost near hundred years later, there are minority winners and nominators. That’s great.
Time has changed. I am pretty sure the DR will be the same as the Oscar awards’ way.
BTW, Deaf Sherlock is screwed up by Ridor, Both losers in a big time, Paotie.
JJ ..
I know you’ll be thinking of me in the shower.
*winks sexily*
Anyway, Tempe rules, dude. Beautiful town and women!
Did you ever go to one of the New Years’ parties in downtown Tempe?
I did! I was detained by the police, too!
BAHHH HAHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA!!
Paotie
Smiling at the exchange of comments. Yeah, comparing DeafRead to evil axis of countries, ex-Communist countries and current Communist countries (N. Korea, China, Cuba…) meaning, close-minded, fear, outright rejection, more propanda, etc. Well, it’s life… we all like hearing both inspiring AND horror stories, to feed our imagination and to firm up or change our opinions, huh?
Yes, I have tried organic wine… problem is they are a bit pricy. Guess when we have more money, we will go for more organic food. We have Wild Oats stores here in Indianapolis, soooo… I will never forgot the most expensive Merlot wine I sampled in San Diego a few years ago… my, it was smoky, a taste of oak in it, etc… delicious!
Ah, JJ. There is none with a CI who do not use ASL. None with a HA who do not use ASL. None for those with cued speech who do not use ASL. None who use oral/aural and do not use ASL. There is no late-deafened editor that wears a CI/HA who do not use ASL. DR editors are not exactly a mixed bag of background, preferences and experiences but more of an ecclectic group with one thing in mind.
BTW, JJ, along with the alphabetical list it’d be nice if DR can set up a page that lists from the oldest to the more recent blogsite added to DR’s aggregator list. That way readers can check out who are the new comers. Last week it was 539 blogs. Today it’s 544 blogs. I don’t even know which ones are the newest blogs to come aboard.
Does anyone know if DeafRead will provide NON-ASL accommodations for guests participating at the conference?
kim left a question in a comment to DR asking about CART services on January 11, and I left a comment last night asking if the editors had addressed that issue or not.
Today, it remains unanswered (and my comment is either deleted or in moderation – another comment I left regarding traffic figures at DR last night answered), so .. does anyone know?
Click here to see the link.
Paotie
DR *will have* to roll their sleeves to clean up their ranch, JJ. It’s a long, long, long way to go…..DR is only a toddler age. We ought to take care of the DR. DR editors, why don’t you guys learn from the Oscar awards? Feedback would be more helpful. DR is having some congestion problems with all the audiences.
I dunno about the CART. Could anyone please what the CART is? It seems to me that its new.
Hey, wow, this is all very interesting. I’ve been away from my computer due to visiting relatives.
Paotie, I think you’d be interested in the research I’m conducting (non-scientific, but it has been interesting so far). I will let you contact me privately if you are interested, since I don’t really want it to be noticed by avidly anti-CI people at this point!
White Ghost~
CART is a captioning service in real time. Similar to what court reporters use. someone types out everything (word for word), that gets transmitted in real time to a deaf/hoh person who has a monitor set up in front of him/her and READS everything that is being said. It’s neat. At end, the whole thing can be printed out and you have it on paper. Great for classes and court. I’ve used it and prefer it to interpreters. Less confusion and I know I’m getting the real thing. Not too great for ASLers who don’t have excellent English.
Paotie,
I have read your blog off an on for awhile now and have always liked the way you tell it like it is.
Mishka approached both Susanna, my daughter Rachel and me when she decided to cover the topic of CIs. I give her a lot of credit for taking it on in the deafread environment. I am eager for more positive CI stories to appear because, as others have said, like it or not, CIs in young children are here to stay, and there are thousands of positive stories out there. I know because I have met many of them at multiple conventions and am on a listserv with well over 1000 CI parents.
A few have commented on the number of negative CI stores they’ve seen. Consider, though, the circles that most of you travel in. What would draw those with positive CI stories to deafread, especially those who don’t sign and are not a part of the deaf culture? I am someone who has always tried to set the record straight so that parents faced with making decisions about their newborn deaf baby today can get accurate information, something I didn’t get over 20 years ago. All the professionals told me about was signing, the deaf culture, and some English on the side – kind of ironic given the accusations against the professionals today. So, the couple of times that I have ventured on here has not been to “propagandize” but, rather, to try to offer some balance and what to me is the truth. Unfortunately, though, I’m in the minority. Most successful CI users, including several whom Rachel knows, were not even willing to venture onto deafread. They’d been there done that growing up and didn’t want to deal with it. So, deafread will continue to offer a biased and unbalanced perspective on CIs in kids unless those like Susanna, Rachel and I are met with more openness. This is not to say that all or even most have been hostile. On the contrary, we’ve been pleased to “meet” the few who are truly open minded and interested and willing to see that things have changed for kids born deaf today, but the hostility on the part of those who refuse to open their minds even just a little bit has been disheartening.
To add a comment defending Susanna – something she doesn’t really need me to do because she is quite capable of speaking up for herself, but I am choosing to do it anyway.
I know Susanna. I have met her children. Her 7-year-old in incredible. Not only does he hear and speak beautifully, but he has language and vocabulary that is far more advanced and sophisticated than most normal hearing kids his age. So, for those who accuse her of “propagandizing,” think again. She has seen what the CI and the A-V approach have done for her kids, and, like me, she wants to get accurate information out there so that other kids can have the same opportunities that hers have. To come to a place like deafread to tell our stories opens us up to lots of animosity, but we have persisted not because we are intent on proliferating propaganda but, rather, because we want other parents to know what is possible today – what we see as the truth. We’re not trying to change deafread, only to offer some balance.
Well said, Melissa!
Oral deaf education at the preschool and kindergarten level enabled my daughter to function and socialize quite easily during her elementary and now middle school years in our local public school. With many friends and a happy disposition she’s right “in there” with all the hearing kids, talking, laughing, singing and just being a 12 year old who happens to have a profound hearing loss. DeafRead should have more balance when it comes to deaf and hard of hearing blogs if they want to be representative of the entire community of people with hearing loss. Children like mine, Melissa’s and Susanna’s and the thousands of others who use oral communication are part of the community, are they not?
Melissa, can you clarify what you mean about successful CI users “been there and done that growing up and didn’t want to deal with it.” ? Are you referring to CI adults or CI kids dealing with backlash about CI usage from the deaf community? If you mean CI adults, that is understandable, considering CI’s have only been around for some 20 years and many in the deaf community still have many misperceptions about the technology.
There are some in Deaf culture who use ASL as their first language who feel that CI users threaten their sign language and culture. These individuals feel that a generation of CI kids may cause their language to disappear and therefore change the Deaf culture from what they know it today. These also feel that deafness is not something to be “fixed” and that parents should accept their deaf child as he is. Ironically, the CI child is deaf anyway, when the technology is removed for several reasons. These individuals do not want to see that the landscape of deafness has changed considerably and the clock can’t be turned back to before 1880.
Take heart though, there are a number of bloggers/commenters who have moderate views appearing on DR. These people know that there is no such thing in black-and-white, that there is a great deal of complexity to any deaf person’s situation, such as age of diagnosis, modes of communication, the family’s location to deaf education resources, etc. DR need to hear your voices in regard to the CI experience. Yes, you will encounter a lot of criticism, but if you prevail with facts and stories, you can start dispelling some of the misperceptions in the deaf community about the CI/oral experience. Thanks for showing up at least!
Re success stories of CI kids, my 15 year old son wrote a blurb for Mishka Zen and she wrote me back saying she wanted to authenticate that what was written was from him. So far that hasn’t happened but then again she has been busy with her blog, so it is probably still in the pipe line.
Let me share something that happened to me. Where we live mainstream kids doing high school community studies can do a unit of study on hearing impairment. As the parent of a child with a CI many ask to interview me about my child, his implant, his experiences etc. On one occasion a girl of mabye 15-16 had been to see a man from the state Deaf Society first (the girl concerned could not sign and had no prior exposure to deafness) and then came to speak to me….from one meeting with a member of the Deaf Society she came to me with this as her opionion “well because your son had hearing and lost it due to meningitis, it is ok for him to have an implant because maybe his culture is hearing, but if he were born deaf, he would be of Deaf Culture and it would be wrong for him to have an implant! I was stunned, so I told her of a mentor to my family whose son was born deaf, implanted at age 3 with not a lot of language who is now at university, speaks on the phone etc etc. So why did this girl or others feel they had the right to “play God” and decide that this boy should not have access to an implant but my child should?
Re Melissa’s comments re acceptance, it may even be because as very active members in terms of supporting parents, our kids see us in these roles. Whilst we do our best not to expose our kids to what happens, it is possible our kids have overheard some of this stuff and possibly seen us expressing frustration at some of the comments that have been directed at us or other parents and perhaps that too impacts on their decision not to go there, in the same that way children take offense when they see their parents being hurt by someone else.
As Melissa said though, it has been great to “meet” some genuine, open minded people on some of the blogs though.
Ann C.,
When Mishka first approached Rachel and me, she asked us not only to send her Rachel’s story but also to see if some of Rachel’s CI friends, who range in age from 18 to 22 and who were either implanted as toddlers or implanted as young children after being oral with hearing aids, would write up their stories for her. These CI young adults have their own group on Facebook. I’m not sure how many are on it, but I personally know 12 of them. Not one single one was willing to send something in, although two have since given Rachel their stories for her blog, http://www.cochlearimplantonline.com/blog . These kids are among the first generation of kids implanted early and raised A-V or orally. They now range in grade from high school seniors to recent college graduates. All attend/attended mainstream schools throughout and are not only succeeding academically but are also honors students. Many of them have parents who, like me, fought to get accurate information out early on, and so they are well aware of the controversy, likely more so than today’s CI kids, who are so many more in number than this first generation.
What’s more, early on when this group was growing up it was even worse. Harlan Lane was on TV adamantly stating that CIs don’t work. A friend of mine saw Lane speak and had his young daughter with him who heard and spoke beautifully. My friend approached Lane to have him speak to his daughter, but Lane refused. It was also about this time that the NAD was actively campaigning to have FDA approval of CIs in children reversed. The now young adults on this Facebook group grew up in the midst of all this, and, while not all were turned off to the deaf culture because of it, many were.
That is why I say that the attitude in the deaf culture towards CIs in children has to change, or their numbers will dwindle dramatically over the next 20 years. It is not enough, either, to say that the children are welcome because they are deaf, but not their parents, because these kids love their parents and are grateful to them for making the choices that they did. This is where the difference is. All of these young adults are very grateful to their parents for choosing the CI and for choosing to teach them to hear and speak. That is why things are changing.
Quick update:
Chris Leon has published a blog, accusing DeafRead of censorship and monopolizing the deaf blogosphere.
Click here.
Paotie
Thanks Melissa and Another Mum, for your clarifications. I understand how your kids feel about the dedication and advocacy on their behalf by their parents. But do your kids who were the ones implanted realize that they can give the best and most convincing testimony of all?
It’s one thing to listen to parents of deaf CI kids speak eloquently of them, it’s another for the deaf community to hear what CI kids now grown and in the working world say about their CI experience. I’m not discounting what you as parents have done for your deaf CI children, it involves a lot of work and difficult decisions, but it’s the real McCoy that the deaf community will be more willing to listen to, the CI kids themselves.
Harlan Lane wrote his books back in the ’80′s and ’90′s. He represents only one aspect of the deaf community. The deaf community is NOT all about Deaf culture and ASL, as much as some people desire it to be, it has in it a spectrum of deafness ranging from late-deafenedness to CI implantees, to culturally Deaf, to HOH/oral deaf, to the deaf-blind, etc. whether they use ASL or not. The landscape of deafness has changed a great deal since Harlan Lane, and your CI kids need to tell the world that the deaf community is so much more than Harlan Lane, Paddy Ladd, Deafhood, etc. Your kids just do what comes to them naturally, not because of some philosophical theory about deafness, not because of the 1880 Milan Conference, but because the present technology helped to contribute to their future.
Ann_C, well-written comment about the need to show the Deaf Culture about the spectrum of all kinds of deafness and that the Deaf Culture need to change to include more of the deaf community.
Ann C.,
Rachel does understand that what she has to say is more effective than hearing it from me, and that is why she is speaking up now. Jessica is just getting there. She is 13. Many of Rachel’s CI friends don’t want to be involved, say they’re too busy, etc., but Rachel is working on them. A couple of them agreed to let her post their stories on her website. You can read them at http://www.cochlearimplantonline.com/CIstories.php . She hopes to get more stories over time.
I am very appreciative of your comments about the deaf community including a wider spectrum of people. If all of us can recognize that, then we will have made major progress.
Melissa,
I’ve been reading Rachel’s articles and her friends’ stories. I encourage Rachel to keep it up, despite the critics. The deaf community needs to see that she has a human side to her, that the CI is just one part of her life among many other things.
In reference to Melissa’s and Ann_C’s comments I think in many instances our kids are busy doing their thing, living their life and so the notion of “proving the success” is just a hassle they don’t want. I couldn’t think of the right way to put that, but I hope you understand what I mean. This is especially the case if they have experienced negativity in relation to sharing their experiences in the past and I think many are really happy in their place in the world so don’t seek to go there. However when they get the chance to dialogue with people like yourselves who are receptive, interested and genuinely seeking to know more, that is when this cycle can change. I think if they see a purpose to share their stories and see that people are really interested in just getting to know them and getting an insight into their lives and how they do with their CI’s, then I think they will be more willing to share.
[...] 24, 2008, I published an article in response to the same Editor’s emotional outburst against a CI-friendly commentator (note: [...]