'I am a Capital D Deaf’

'I am a Capital D Deaf’

Advocates want better services for the deaf, not just cochlear implants

ALISHA MORRISSEY

The Telegram, May 4, 2009

Jennifer Sooley says she’s deaf, not disabled.

Through a sign language interpreter, the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of the Deaf says society placed the disabled label on her and other deaf people, and not the other way around.

“We function in every day life. We’re not isolated. … We have no limitations. The problem is that society as a whole places the barriers in front of us,” she says, signing rapidly.

“I am a capital D Deaf, which means that I am immersed into deaf culture. Lower-cased d for deaf, means that you’re deaf, but you’re not immersed into deaf culture. It’s their choice. Deafened means that you became deaf later in life,” Sooley says attempting to bring some understanding to her way of life.

Sooley and others recently expressed outrage over an article Eradicating deafness - Living - The Telegram
in The Telegram, which quoted a local ear, nose, and throat doctor on the potential of technology to end deafness in this province.

Sooley and Stephen Kirby, acting president of the Newfoundland and Labrador
Deaf Sports Association, both say they have nothing against the cochlear implant technology that was referred to in the story, nor the idea of giving children the option to hear.

Rather, both say they were disappointed with the way Dr. Tony Batten described “eradicating deafness.” “He is the best for his patients. I know he has their best interests in mind,” Kirby says, adding that he felt that Batten’s comments were unrealistic.

Kirby says he had an implant, which bypasses non-functioning inner ear hair cells by converting sounds to electronic impulses that stimulate inner ear nerve endings.

“Most of my childhood was taken up with this training and the therapy for the cochlear implant … around 17 or 18 I stopped using it because it was interfering with my life. I mean I couldn’t progress. I couldn’t be involved in sports. It was interfering with school work,” Kirby says with the help of an interpreter.

He says the important thing to remember is that when the implant is taken off or broken, that person is still deaf. When asked if their children were born deaf, would they consider an implant, both Sooley and Kirby hesitate, but say they would think about it.

“If there’s no implants then I would have to move out of Newfoundland, because there’s not great services for the deaf,” Sooley says. “The education is better obviously, away. The government (here) they’re going backwards in time with relation to services and education for deaf children.”

Kirby agrees saying he’s heard from parents of deaf children that government is turning students away from the provincial school for the deaf. He says government is pushing for every deaf child to have an implant and be taught at mainstream schools.

“I don’t have anything against cochlear implants if they want it that’s fine, but not to be forced by a doctor or by a government. I mean if the parents decide that they want it for their children that’s fine,” he says.

“Right now, they don’t have the option. That’s our concern the children don’t have an option.”

He says adding sign language to education for children with cochlear implants can only help them.

“Don’t put limitations on them. Give them sign language; give them lip reading, expose them to the deaf community to deaf culture, but the government and the doctors are trying to make these people hearing.”

The province’s official stance is that the School for the Deaf will remain operational as long as it is needed.

Meanwhile, to further combat discrimination, Sooley is quick to point out that she’s graduating from university this year, and Kirby is graduating from college.

“There’s many success stories, there’s deaf engineers, there’s deaf plumbers, deaf welders,” Sooley says. “To us it’s a sense that’s missing,” Kirby says. “Society has different perspectives on what is and isn’t a disability.”

For more information visit
NL Association of the Deaf Home
or
www.nldsa.org.

amorrissey@thetelegram.com

Related Reading

Broad spectrum to deafness - Letter to the editor - The Telegram

Eradicate barriers, not deafness - Letter to the editor - The Telegram

'I am a capital D Deaf' - Living - The Telegram

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Bebonang said:

The only thing that I can not stand is for the doctor or the government including parents (confused parents) to control over us by not having us be involved with the Deaf Community and Deaf Culture. We were forced to go into mainstream school just because they want us to hear very badly. Pffft. They will not help us with accommodations even if we can hear the sounds with CI or hearing aids. They expect us to listen which is impossible. Those devices are not perfect and they can cause a lot of problem in our daily lifestyle. Most hearing people don't understand deafness and why we want to be in the Deaf Culture. They think they know everything about deafness when they have never had experience being deaf.

If a family member like my mother became deaf and refused to wear hearing aid, but also refused to learn ASL or lipreading, then how the heck are they going to communicate or be able to understand what other people said?

Oh, come on, you, hearing people, can not fix deafness and that is the only way is to accept the child's deafness or adult's deafness if late deafened. There is no miracle around this devices. I am still against CI as it is surgery. I don't want that on babies and early childhood. They are beautiful the way they are.


EDIT We need Deaf schools more than mainstream schools. ASL is a must for all d/Deaf and HOH. It has opened doors for the d/Deaf and HOH when signing with ASL. Communication and understanding in ASL does wonder for us. Don't you ever sign to hearing babies only, you should have sign to both hearing and deaf babies.

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drphil said:

Acceptance of the fact of DEAFness would seem to be the first step.
aside: I am bilateral DEAF for the last 6 years That fact will not change in my lifetime.

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Bebonang said:

The only thing that I can not stand is for the doctor or the government including parents (confused parents) to control over us by not having us be involved with the Deaf Community and Deaf Culture. We were forced to go into mainstream school just because they want us to hear very badly. Pffft. They will not help us with accommodations even if we can hear the sounds with CI or hearing aids. They expect us to listen which is impossible. Those devices are not perfect and they can cause a lot of problem in our daily lifestyle. Most hearing people don't understand deafness and why we want to be in the Deaf Culture. They think they know everything about deafness when they have never had experience being deaf.

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If a family member like my mother became deaf and refused to wear hearing aid, but also refused to learn ASL or lipreading, then how the heck are they going to communicate or be able to understand what other people said?

Click to expand...

Oh, come on, you, hearing people, can not fix deafness and that is the only way is to accept the child's deafness or adult's deafness if late deafened. There is no miracle around this devices. I am still against CI as it is surgery. I don't want that on babies and early childhood. They are beautiful the way they are.

Click to expand...

EDIT We need Deaf schools more than mainstream schools. ASL is a must for all d/Deaf and HOH. It has opened doors for the d/Deaf and HOH when signing with ASL. Communication and understanding in ASL does wonder for us. Don't you ever sign to hearing babies only, you should have sign to both hearing and deaf babies.

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JMH said:

Sorry, Bebonang, I don't agree with this.



You said we're being forced into mainstream school - you're wrong. It's depends on where you live - sometimes your local school doesn't have deaf program at local school and they don't have option except going to boarding deaf school. Please don't say they're being forced their deaf child into mainstream school. :roll: They may prefer see their children coming home everyday instead of sending them away for 5 days a week and only see them Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday.

Going to deaf-only school is much worse than mainstream school. Why? You won't see your family for 5 days a week and only time you will see them on weekends. And the education is the worst. I did went deaf school for 2 years and I skipped a grade because it was [censored]ing EASY - hell, even after skipped a grade, the classes are still TOO EASY. I learned nothing there and I could skip ANOTHER grade if I stayed bit longer. When I transferred to mainstream school I started to learn more.

What's more - I have lot of deaf friends who went to same school as I (yes, mainstream school) and they're doing perfectly fine in deaf world or deaf culture whatever you call it.



If that's what she wanted then so be it. You have to respect her wish.



How is it your problem? Again, it's their wish and they just want what's best for their own child (remember they're not your child).




For what? Wasting our tax on something is unnecessary. I think mainstream school is best step to learn both deaf and hearing world. This will teach us how to communicate with each other and understand each other. If we created two separate schools, how suppose we learn how to handle each other? Hearing people will be ruder to deaf people and deaf people will be ruder to hearing people. It would be a [censored]ed up world if we keep it up.

If you're thinking they're pulling a genocide on deaf world, then you're being ridiculous.

You have to remember – no matter who you are, we ALL are human beings, period.

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