I have a question.

Breezy, I was speaking in generalities. Many hearing parents consider ASL and Deaf culture to be "speshal needs"Just go over to Healthy Normal HearingExchange or read Volta Voices (and actually nowadays what's being pushed is the idea of lip/speechreading being "speshal needs"!?!?!?!?)....but yeah....my parents fell for that hook,line and sinker. They actually even started going to Sign classes around the time I was dx when I was 2 1/2,(my daddy knew a bit of Sign, since his cousin whom I've never met is Deaf) but stopped b/c the "experts" at Children's told them that it wasn't a good idea as I would become "dependant" on it. I actually narrowly missed becoming fluent in ASL, as my nextdoor neighbor in the town where I was born was Deaf, but unfortunatly we moved when I was seven :(
However, my parents now say that they wish they'd pursued ASL for me! Both my parents have said that they want to learn ASL with me!!!! :) :) :)
 
^ That's cool. I wish my parents would do that. It's not something we talk about though...i wish we did.

And sorry for not realizing that you were talking about generalities...i'm just dumb i guess.
 
Oops, I started this thread but didn't check it til now. Anyway, I believe that CIs can have an enormous impact on implantees lives, but it's all individual choice in the end. I have seen many CI implantees and a very small percentage of them actually felt it worked for them. It's not always true that CI users want to be in the hearing world, perhaps they wanted to be in there in the first place but never felt able to.

I say this because I have several deaf friends with a CI, Waterrats included, who are part of the deaf world and always will be despite the fact they have a CI. It didn't change their attitude towards the world, just helped them appreciate music and the sounds of the world better. Myself, I'm not going to consider a CI (I have already thought about this) unless my eyesight gets worse. I don't want to go through an overhaul in speech and auditory lessons. I don't want to go through the trauma of an operation and all that unless I needed to. I've just been able to hear so well with my hearing aids, they've helped me talk well and lipread well, and I feel that I improve my hearing every day by coming across new sounds, and new words to hear.

However, if anyone else wants to go ahead with a CI, good luck and I would be very interested in hearing your experiences. I like hearing what people have to say about CIs and hearing aids as well.
 
Ummm... to those question that you've asked. I know its hard to think whether CI in deaf community or not. Myself, I currently wear cochlear implant on my right ear and I love it. I benfit from it alot! I was implanted when I was a child(7). I acual never used it till I entrolled NYSSD (Deaf school). I grew up in mainstream school with all hearing ppls. I didnt wear it because I didnt understand why I was wearing it. When I finally got in this school that my mom placed me in. I noticed ppls wearing it. Not alot students at my school wears them. Maybe 1 or 2. I asked them tons of question why I should wearing my cochlear Implant. Now I relized why I should wear it becuase I benfit alot from it. I was abot to hear lots of thing that I never thought I would. Of course... I was fit in to deaf community wh ich I never thought I would. I was raised in hearing world. It was hard for me to be in daef community becuase they reject me becuase I was user of CI. They relized that It really does help but It DOES not change my personally, attiude, or whatever. I was just the same person as I was before I started to wear my Cohlear Implant again. They welcomed me into their community. Now, I am in both worlds of hearing and deaf. Its awesome now becuase I now can experience both from them. I benfit both of them now. I hope this help.
 
I'm againist CI's

I'm againist CI's.
They are very expensive!!and they can cause bad ear infections.
Sign language is alot better and its Free!!!
Margie
Dir. Communcation Services
OCDAC
 
I got to confess something...my voc rehab counselor who is deaf and I have been very good friend for many year...she is pro deaf but she was raised as oral person before Gallaudet changed her life. She confessed to me this she got CI'ed after I left for college...she hopefully this I wasnt mad at her...I told her, I am not and I told her CI will never change our friendship...but I told her I hope she made right decision....afterward she sense happiness...but for myself, I refuse to get one because I dont alienate my true identify for who God created me to be.

I knew some of my pro deaf friends strongly speak AGAINST CI...in my personal opinion...(dont bash me out, ok?) in my perspective...CI is considered "alienating" the human body into something different to suit your needs...to be honest when I was small boy to teenager, I used to wear hearing aids...and I felt it profit me nothing...I tried harder to identify the sound of whereabout it come from. When I reach approximately...I think 15 years old, I hollered at my teacher by saying "I am going to remove my hearing aids for good because I felt it is not helping me at all and I wanted tp be proud for who I am than to struggle to realize the sound." The teacher got upset and told me, you are going to realize u are gonna need it...so I explained to my mother about it...she respect and did asked me why it dont profit anything...I provided her the bottom line of the point this I am just profoundly deafness and it is worthless for me to work and struggle to realize which sound it originated from.
 
I have CI myself. My friends knew about it. They didn't care. They have friends who have CI also. They respect me and want to see me happy then they are happy. That's the most important. I am still hanging out with deafies. I don't "quit" my deaf world for hearing world. I have both world.
 
umm i believe i had post this before but i willing to say it again...

I had CI myself, It's really not suceesful for me... Sorry but for other my friend who know that i have CI they have no problem with me, but I don't bother to talk about it unless they bring it up about it..

CI just can make some people succesful who has the hearing in their system, I born very profound deaf, it will not change anything... It's expensive, Why they want to use a expensive equiperment and it's not working at the alll what a waste, Im not here to discrible anybody, it's just my optional.
 
Margie said:
I'm againist CI's.
They are very expensive!!and they can cause bad ear infections.
Sign language is alot better and its Free!!!
Margie
Dir. Communcation Services
OCDAC
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I'm sorry you feel that way, Margie. You have every right to your own opinion.

Just thought you would know this too - most CI's obtained are supported through insurance plans. It isn't usually the patient's money that is being spent. Yes, you're right - some CI's, (although rare) have caused infection. I am one of those cases. I had meningitis in January. You may or may not have seen something about that in my previous posts. Again, it's rare that infection stems from the CI itself - VERY uncommon. A hearing person is equally as likely to suffer from an ear infection as a person with a CI is.

Regardless, you should also keep in mind that a lot of members here have a CI. Maybe you can (and should) be a little more considerate in your posts. Sign language is free? Well, yeah. How the heck would you pay for sign language? It's not a product. It's a language, just like Spanish or Italian or French. You make it sound like learning sign language is the solution to any issues that being deaf may bring up. Do you really believe that it is the solution? That the deaf should learn how to sign and not welcome other options into their lives? If you do, then forgive me, but I think you are a very closed-minded individual.

Maybe some of us want a little more than sign language, and want to take advantage of more opportunities. There's no crime in that.
 
Ziusudra said:
I have a question. I was wondering if anyone has had problems regarding the deaf community with their CIs. I have quite a few friends who are strongly against it. But over time, they gradually realised that a CI doesn't really change a deaf person, it's the person's attitude to the CI and the world that changes them.

I have friends with CIs who sign as well and because they sign, they are more accepted in the deaf community than those who don't sign. I just wondered what other deaf communities thought of CIs in other parts of the world. Some people are pro-CIs, anti-CIs and some are neutral like me. It's interesting to see what some people's attitudes are, and even though some people may have a negative attitude, it is the diversity in attitudes that makes the world go around :)

Ziusudra
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Yea.. Myself, I have CI.... AND I am accepted in deaf community but much later when they learned that it doesnt change me. They are still against cochlear implant but willing to accept me. Eventhough I sign... but still using speech and lip reading.... I do sign but not freqeuntly. Any question.. email me at deafgurlpower886@aol.com
 
I've just been able to hear so well with my hearing aids, they've helped me talk well and lipread well, and I feel that I improve my hearing every day by coming across new sounds, and new words to hear.
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I am VERY impressed with the way that so many people here are OK with CIs. I think a big reason why some members of the deaf community are against CIs, is b/c when we were little (hey even when us twentysomethings were little) the "experts" said that hearing aids are pretty much sufficent for most deaf kids. Auditory-Verbal International says that 95% of losses (including severe and profound losses) can be aided into the speech banana. There are actually people with severe or profound losses who hear too well with hearing aids to qualify for a CI!
 
Malfoyish said:
I'm sorry you feel that way, Margie. You have every right to your own opinion.

Just thought you would know this too - most CI's obtained are supported through insurance plans. It isn't usually the patient's money that is being spent. Yes, you're right - some CI's, (although rare) have caused infection. I am one of those cases. I had meningitis in January. You may or may not have seen something about that in my previous posts. Again, it's rare that infection stems from the CI itself - VERY uncommon. A hearing person is equally as likely to suffer from an ear infection as a person with a CI is.

Regardless, you should also keep in mind that a lot of members here have a CI. Maybe you can (and should) be a little more considerate in your posts. Sign language is free? Well, yeah. How the heck would you pay for sign language? It's not a product. It's a language, just like Spanish or Italian or French. You make it sound like learning sign language is the solution to any issues that being deaf may bring up. Do you really believe that it is the solution? That the deaf should learn how to sign and not welcome other options into their lives? If you do, then forgive me, but I think you are a very closed-minded individual.

Maybe some of us want a little more than sign language, and want to take advantage of more opportunities. There's no crime in that.
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Malfoyish,

I agree with you. I'm hearing (as you know lol), so I confess to flying blind here with some of my opinions, but I am all for CHOICE. Every person should have the right to decide for themselves what is best for them. And, it's sad when we ( as in the disabled community as a whole) are stereotyped. It really drives me crazy when I see someone making generalities, and spouting opinions about things they know very little about. For example, I'm hearing, but also, disabled. Since I'm disabled, I have a CLUE about some things. However, that does NOT mean that I also know what it's like to be deaf. I will NEVER KNOW what that's like, and I won't ever pretend to know what it's like like to be in a deaf person's shoes. In my opinion, people need to think before they open up there mouths (or fingers), and insert their feet!

I also would like to say something about the meningitis risk. Again, not really knowing all the ends out of CI's, I'm flying a bit blind here, but from what I've read about meningitis in general, you are correct. I can vouch for it striking someone in the general population. Because, I contracted bacterial meningitis as a baby. My infection stemmed from a infected shunt that was placed in my brain when I was very young. My risk for re-infection is slightly higher, but, only because I had it that one time. This is true for anybody who's had meningitis at least once.
 
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Well, Malfy and Ocean, I, too, echo your sentiments; but it makes me wonder what kind of a leader for the deaf this person is who would single out a viable segment of the deaf community. For shame!
 
CIers everywhere, do not hesitate to share your CI experience or to ask questions of other CIers here; the atmosphere in this forum is overwhelmingly positive as regards the CI, so post away to your heart's desire!
 
it makes me wonder what kind of a leader for the deaf this person is who would single out a viable segment of the deaf community.
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Being anti-CI isn't going to save ASL and deaf culture. What will save ASL and Deaf culture is deafies being openminded about accepting others into the deaf culture. Yes, I know in recent years those who ID as Deaf tend to have been drawn from the profound population....but there are tons and tons of hoh and even late-deafened folks who ID as Deaf! I've actually noticed that there have been some late-deafened folks who are like "It's OK that I'm deaf...I don't mind. I can survive b/c I know Sign and being deaf isn't a huge tradgedy"
 
Myself I am considering CI, next week i am going in for my very first audiologist appt where i will be asking about ci.. so i hope things go well..

I am considering it because i want to be able to hear just a bit more than what i can now.. But i promised myself i will not ingore the deaf world that i am already in.. I will still be in the deaf world, but i also want to try to be involve in the hearing world sometime on my own without being left out and thtat crap..

I am still deaf if i get ci, sure i can hear a bit more but i am still deaf when i take it off, so basically i am deaf period, and nothing, not even ci will change that.. i know that b ut i am still considering ci.
 
darkangel8603 said:
Myself I am considering CI, next week i am going in for my very first audiologist appt where i will be asking about ci.. so i hope things go well..

I am considering it because i want to be able to hear just a bit more than what i can now.. But i promised myself i will not ingore the deaf world that i am already in.. I will still be in the deaf world, but i also want to try to be involve in the hearing world sometime on my own without being left out and thtat crap..

I am still deaf if i get ci, sure i can hear a bit more but i am still deaf when i take it off, so basically i am deaf period, and nothing, not even ci will change that.. i know that b ut i am still considering ci.
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Hey, good luck for your first appt. Let us know how it goes. :)
 
Lianca said:
Hey, good luck for your first appt. Let us know how it goes. :)
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HEY!

How is your day with your hook up since you had appointment Wednesday this week which is already start. What do you think and did you hear any annony sound that I hate the most is humming sound a lot!! Right now, it start to fading and slowing. I can hear a lot thing than what I used to. I wore out easly because I am using my head alot. ;)
 
ideafspy said:
HEY!

How is your day with your hook up since you had appointment Wednesday this week which is already start. What do you think and did you hear any annony sound that I hate the most is humming sound a lot!! Right now, it start to fading and slowing. I can hear a lot thing than what I used to. I wore out easly because I am using my head alot. ;)
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Hey there,

Well let me see. It's really annoying but it wasn't that bad as I thought. It made my right side of face flinch many times when the audiologist were trying to test me with high frequently. Oh boy, now she made it soft. I hear like bounce the ball, drum, etc.. I am going back on Friday to see if which programs (1 or 2) is good for me. Tomorrow night I have to switch to P2 till Friday morning to see if I like it or not.

Well, I am off to bed. I will let u know more on Friday. ;) Have a good night
 
Tousi said:
Well, Malfy and Ocean, I, too, echo your sentiments; but it makes me wonder what kind of a leader for the deaf this person is who would single out a viable segment of the deaf community. For shame!
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More than likely, someone with their own agenda who thinks they know it ALL. People like that drive me insane. LOL
 
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