Frisky Feline

I agree. interesting!

Deafness

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Daredevel7

Honestly? It's a tough choice.

One thing for sure, if my child really wanted it, I have no problem with it.

If my child was young.....I cannot choose now. So I put maybe.

I cannot choose because I need to actually research the support available in where I live (or could live, might be able to work somewhere else) as well as the degree of hearing loss of my child. And I don't just mean CI support, I also mean ASL support.

If this country was very good at giving options for the deaf, it would be a much easier choice.

Frisky Feline

thanks for your input.

deafdyke

Cloggy, you do not understand that while CI can be good, and allow some access to the hearing world, it does not allow for unfettered access. Yes, your daughter has speech, but she still has delays right? You're just so enthralled by the fact that she has some access....It gets harder, especially socially.

bbaseballboy123

I'm gonna have to agree with Cloggy.
It really helped my life to be easier.
And I havent really seen my social life (now) bad.

Having CI over not having one is better than nothing.

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Working on a new project that will benefit deaf peeps

Daredevel7

Of course. That's because you use a CI to its fullest and set up your life to be dependent on the CI. I have a CI and it makes "listening" easier, but if the battery dies or I forgot to recharge... my life isn't harder at all.

A few days before Christmas, someone frantically emailed me because "a friend of a friend" has 2 deaf kids, both with CIs, and they ran out of batteries. Apparently, they don't have rechargeables. They were so desperate to get batteries from any one else in town since it takes a while to get them delivered. They were like "They won't be able to hear us on Christmas!!!"

I thought that was the most depressing thing I've ever heard. I don't even think I put on CIs or HAs in the morning of past Christmas days because I'd just rush out from bed to the tree!

I don't know if the children themselves were freaking out or it was just the parents....... I hope it was the latter for the kids' sakes.

DeafCaroline

Yeah, I read a blog written by one young lady who was so panicked when her CI battery died at work that she took the rest of the day off due to stress and anxiety.

that's depressing.

Frisky Feline

I wonder if they learn ASL and socialize with other kids who are the same as them. Will they still freak out when they learn that batteries are out? just wonder? is that because they have no contact with other kids who are the same as them and only have contact with hearig people all their lives.

I have no problem if my battery is out. Just a little annoying but can survive it.

shel90

Me too..my life won't end if i can't hear when my battery dies.

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zajko

Exactly
But well .. some people are addicted to sound, so they don't like silence when batteries die. I like to hear when communicating with other people. And I like silence when I'm alone. The fact is, not everyone feels it in the same way and I think we shouldn't blame them for it.




And to the topic - If I had deaf children, I would give them CI. It makes life easier. But I would also try to communicate with them via sign language. And maybe I'll try it even with hearing children - it could be fun. I need to learn it until then (I started recently and know only a few signs ) But .. since I don't plan children in next few years, I have plenty of time

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Banjo

No kidding. People act as if it's the end of the world if they cannot hear the birds chirping in the morning.

deafdyke

Exactly....you can speechread and even sign a bit. You're not DEPENDANT on the CI. I know two Deaf girls who have a CI...they love it, and all...but they can function 100% WITHOUT it.
bballboy, you may love your CI, but you also cannot function at ALL without it. Remember how freaked out you were when your CI failed? You could not function at ALL. Whereas if you'd learned ASL, you would have appreciated the sound, but you could also speechread AND function both with and without the CI.

flip

I'm glad I'm not into that kind of addiction. Think I'll stick with pot and acid.

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Daredevel7

I understand, but there is a big difference between being annoyed by it and having it disrupt your life.

When a CI/HA dies, some people let it disrupt their lives. I just raise my left eyebrow and think "it doesn't have to be that way..."

Many people compare a CI with glasses. If one loses their glasses, it disrupts their lives. It's true and I don't blame them for it. I don't expect them to learn how to live their daily lives without seeing.

But what they don't realize is... learning how to live without your CI is so incredibly easy compared to learning how to live without your glasses.

zajko

True - life in silence is easier than life in blurry world If I turn my CI off, I can still do plenty of things. If I take my glasses off, it is worse .. for example I would be still able to read a book, but .. 5 cm from my eyes ^^

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AlleyCat

I often go full deaf on weekends. No HAs. Bliss! even some evenings after work. It doesn't change a thing I would have done otherwise.

Audiofuzzy

Here's my take on it.
Since I have really horrible migraines and I depend on my medications,
in a way it is similar to being dependent on CI or HAs.
Also I wear Has, so, yeah, batteries here, too.


I have no plm going deaf completely although being used to hear I hate that.


That's why I always make sure I am stocked up well in advance in both cases
including emergencies.
We live in XXI century, there is no need to go without.

Buy your batteries thinking ahead. Think you may get stuck someplace for two more MONTHS than you expect, so prepare.

How could these people not have a spare battery or a charger in their purses is beyond me.
It's their holy duty to ensure never ending supply of such stuff. It was NOT difficult in 2011.

I always, always have a pack of fresh batteries with me always everywhere I go.
I buy the new pack as I remove last two of four, and still have two fresh left.
If for some reason I wouldn't be able to take my purse with me I would put my little pack of batteries in the pocket anywhere , OR, as a last resort - in my bra (that never happened yet)
same with my meds.
I bought a special pill box for an emergency combo that must last two weeks.
In the worst scenario I will also put it in my bra but I WILL have it on me!
Is that so hard to do ?!

Always make my dr apmnts a week in advance, not waiting for the last pill to be swallowed and then panic finding out the dr is in holidays for the next two weeks.

So, sorry it's not the CI, it's the stupid people's own negligence when things like that happen.

If you, Daredevil, could not only have enough CI batteries for yourself but also share more with TWO other people,
then this is best proof how it's other people lack of organization and stinky laziness fault it happens,
and to ensure these things are in order.

As for you, dear Deaf peeps, in case of disaster, you are in not that much better situation
because everything else fails, too - TTY, interpreting, CC, vibrating and lighting devices etc etc etc - if we all end up in the forest trying to survive,
sorry but we will once again depend in some degree on hearing ppl

so, there, how about lets not look down on anybody and accept
there is a plus and minus to everything?

Fuzzy

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A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
Mohandas Gandhi
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flip

In a diaster, I'll gang up with culturally deaf people or learn hearing people sign language, communicate with read and write. I know how to do this and still be comfortable because I have years of experience with that. This puts me in an advantage over people who are thrown out of their comfort zones, panics and makes stupid actions.

I agree it's no point look down on anybody, and there are no serious downsides of not beeing able to hear as far I've seen. Of course, you can add if's, like if you are only deaf born in a village, if you are born in a society that hate deaf people, etc.

Beeing depedent on CI solely to communicate with people, is something totally different, leaving you in a very vulnerable position in diasters. Your comparisation is flawed.

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Audiofuzzy

Ok - suppose in case of theoretical disaster and no electricity, in total and utter darkness
something happens, and only the hearing pple are able to yell the warning
about something terrible upcoming - a horde of wild, hungry, bloodthirsty animals,
an earthquake, flood or other calamity - how would you "deafies" know about it, and what would you do in such situation?

Fuzzy

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A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
Mohandas Gandhi
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Frisky Feline

CI wont function in water like flooding or batteries run out of it. same thing for HA. ASL is efffective.


The bottom line, is either CI or HA or no ci and ha (oral route) would be nice if ASL is included. Nothing else.

flip

What a whole group of different people in different places with different people, in an unspecified diaster would do, no one knows. That answer would have as many answers as there are deafies involved. What's a "deafie" by the way?

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flip

Yes, ASL is immortal! It's survived decades of oralism with no problems.

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DeafCaroline

I didn't know hearing person could predict an earthquake in advance and warn others....lol. Um, what's the likelihood of being overrun by a stampede of wild hungry bloodthirsty animals? Hm......0,001%? also, I think one could tell by the vibrations if there was such a stampede on their way. Also, a flood, if one could warn about that in advance, no one would have died during the tsunami in Thailand....

One can tell it's a hearing person or someone who used to be hearing that's asking these questions. I am surprised she's not also asking how can deaf people live alone?

It's a holy duty to carry spare batteries? It's only holy to those who cannot live without sound.

Frisky Feline

have faith, will you?

Daredevel7

Audiofuzzy,

I personally don't believe that there is any "solution" that would make it easier for a deaf person in EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE EVENT, whether it's CI, ASL, etc. If one goes only CI, anyone can find a flaw. Same for going all deaf with ASL.

It's very common for someone to point out the dependency on technology by Deaf people when one questions one's dependence on CI. However, can you really honestly measure those 2 issues on the same level?

If technology goes down (alarm clock, no texting, no lighting, etc), ASL-based deaf people will.. um.. be late to work? Not able to text anyone telling them that they are late? Resort to using a paper and pen? Zombies will eat them?

If CI goes down, deaf people freak out and feel lost. Some tend not to go to the paper and pen route because they are not used to it and feel embarrassed.

What you don't understand is that I'm not looking down on people who freak out when their CI breaks, but rather want to just shake them and tell them that it DOESN'T have to be this way. And no hard work is required.