Unethical Cochlear Implant Marketing

[Hear Again]

deafdyke: Your post about considering yourself Deaf because you sign reminded me of something my sign language instructor told me -- hearing doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how "deaf" a person is. Someone could have moderate hearing loss and consider themselves Deaf because they sign and participate in the Deaf community. Conversely, someone with profound hearing loss/deafness could have very little or no aidable hearing for understanding speech yet not consider themselves Deaf. I think it's an interesting reflection of how we choose to identify ourselves and is something I never knew before.

 

[Breezy]

Why doesn't this surprise me? Breezy are you thinking what I'm thinking? Yeah, the CI works well for some people, but suddenly there seems to be a virtuable explosion of CI is the best thing in the world people! I mean it seems like they have taken over SHHH....SHHH is soon gonna be "All CI all the time"

Ha ha ha ha ha, i'm laughing. I saw the title of this thread and my first thought was, "Hearing Exchange". Yeah but it seems that the more publicity and enforcement of CI's there is, the more bad ideas and opinions seem the surface regarding such issue. This is propaganda. This is exactly like what Hitler did with the Jews: paint an idea in ppls' head about a certain group of ppl, and change it...or try to eliminate it. Only this time no one is buying into this utter craziness. There is nothing wrong with anybody. I can't believe they said not getting CI's was child abuse!!! Have they ever stopped to think that maybe ppl on the other side of the fence think that implanting a child who can't make their own decisions is child abuse???? I'm enraged. I need to go scream.

 

[deafdyke]

This is propaganda. This is exactly like what Hitler did with the Jews: paint an idea in ppls' head about a certain group of ppl, and change it...or try to eliminate it. Only this time no one is buying into this utter craziness. There is nothing wrong with anybody.QUOTE]
OK, Breezy darling....it's time for your shot! Just kidding!
As I said before I think that part of the reason why this is being seen in America is b/c we have the only profit driven/capitalist driven health care system in the industrialized world....the companies really really want to make money, so they are really pushing them...maybe also it might have to do with Medicaid fraud....Unfortuantly there ARE parents and people who are buying into it....ugh! On the upside there are parents who are listening to the experiance of us well-seasoned vetrens...I believe that in a few years there'll be some oral-only adults who were oral as kids, but I also think that many of them will decide to learn ASL. I also think that as OUR generation gets hearing loss, we might see an INCREASE in late deaf folks IDing as Deaf....I mean even now there are late deaf teens and young adults who post b/c they are very interested in learning Sign, or who know sign anyway!

I can't believe they said not getting CI's was child abuse!!! Have they ever stopped to think that maybe ppl on the other side of the fence think that implanting a child who can't make their own decisions is child abuse????

Tell me about it!!!! I mean I think implanting a child who has auditory nereopathy isn't that big of a deal.....they still should go through a hearing aid trial just to make sure they absolutly positively can't benifit from aids (there are some cases that can benifit from being aided!) but, implanting kids up the wazoo....IYIYIYI! There's nothing wrong with implanting a kid who gets really nothing out of aids, but it's just so hard to accuratly tell how well a child hears! And I mean I have heard of late deaf kids (like three year olds) expressing a desire to hear...."when I sing songs, they don't sing back any more!".....but there's a huge difference between that and implanting a child who gets some benifit from aids!

 

[cady75]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$

It's about [COLOR=DarkGreen]MONEY.[/COLOR]


Those people who market CI's are getting RICH. They take advantage of how scared and upset people feel to push CI's on children.

I"m not against CI, but what I see is that there are a lot of people out there who are just trying to make money, and they don't really care about the people who get CI's. They just want to get on the money train and go choo-choo!

That's why you don't see a lot of support for other kinds of communication approaches such as ASL or technology as just behind hear aids, middle ear aids, etc. It doesn't make as much money!

 

[cady75]

sorry. I messed up the html.

I meant,

It's about the MONEY.

 

[cady75]

I give up. You guys know what I mean.

 

[deafdyke]

Cady, I know.....that's EXACTLY what I've been saying!!!! Everyone yaps about how wonderful health technology is, but IT COSTS MONEY....Making a dhh kid dependant on hearing technology does not give them freedom in listening and talking.....it just gives them a HUGE burden in increased health care costs! I should know! I AM hoh, and am on disabilty, NOT b/c I'm lazy but b/c I can't find a job that pays enough for both basic costs of living and the additional costs which my health conditions nesscesstate! (I have a few more disabilties then just being hoh) It's funny...I've brought this exact subject up at a lot of those hearing health style sites.....and never get a response to that. I think a lot of those hearing health types are Republicans who are anti-universal health care.......arughhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[HoneyShot]

I give up. You guys know what I mean.

MONEY!

Yep, I knew what you mean!

 

[HoneyShot]

Cady, I know.....that's EXACTLY what I've been saying!!!! Everyone yaps about how wonderful health technology is, but IT COSTS MONEY....Making a dhh kid dependant on hearing technology does not give them freedom in listening and talking.....it just gives them a HUGE burden in increased health care costs! I should know! I AM hoh, and am on disabilty, NOT b/c I'm lazy but b/c I can't find a job that pays enough for both basic costs of living and the additional costs which my health conditions nesscesstate! (I have a few more disabilties then just being hoh) It's funny...I've brought this exact subject up at a lot of those hearing health style sites.....and never get a response to that. I think a lot of those hearing health types are Republicans who are anti-universal health care.......arughhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I understand deafdyke, I have multiple health issues too, and the costs involved can be HUGE! I'm lucky that my country has a form of socialised health, and I also have insurance, though I'm having problems with my insurer at the moment (ARGH!). So I'm not too out of pocket, but it is very tough when you are dependant on things that cost, cost, cost! I think the people making their kids to wholely dependant on technology are potentially setting them up for a costly future (among other issues). I really hope they've planned how the ongoing costs will be covered, even if their position in life changes for the worse. Especially since they aren't always giving the kids the vital support of dual systems of communication (ie visual means of communication like some sign skills, instead of just technology like CI's alone.)