CI comments to share with my students?

[twinpossible]

Hello All

My ASL students do a formal CI debate each semester. We argue BOTH sides. I usually have a speaker come to the class who has a CI before the debate but I have yet to find someone locally who has a CI and did not pick it for themselves. It would be great to share with them any personal experiences you may have, I am hard of hearing so a CI has never been a consideration for myself. My students usually have three questions,

1. If your parents chose the implant for you as a young child do you wish you had made the choice yourself?
2. If you chose to get implanted what helped you make that choice and did you ever have regrets?
3. Is money a concern, if it was free would you get the CI?

Thank you for sharing, my students love to hear first hand experiences!

 

[bbaseballboy123]

1. lets see, I was born profoundly deaf and implanted at age of two. Because of the education i have received (deaf education - oralism method), I would implant my kids (if they were to come to the world deaf). I am glad I was implanted.

2. I did choose to get my left side implanted at age 15 and reimplanted on my right last year, and I never regret it besides... I dont know, choosing Cochlear over Advance Bonics

3. Even though insurgence covered all implants, my last surgery was actually free, all paid by AB.