So should I get a cochlear implant?

There is a lot of talk about cochlear implants in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.  Some argue that CI’s will kill deaf culture.  Some see it as trying to normalize a disability rather than looking at deafness as an identity.  This bickering makes it tough to sort out what is really going on.  Here are some key features of the debate.

Who should get the implant?

What does this mean for the deaf community?

Does this mean that deafness is a disability?

Who should get the implant?

You probably came to this website wanting to learn more about the implant.  Maybe you are thinking about the implant, maybe someone you know is thinking about it.  But exactly who can get and successfully use the CI?

• You have to consider what type of deafness you have.  It works best for people with inner ear damage.  That means that there is something wrong with the cochlea.  Usually this means that the hair inside the cochlea, which usually transmits the sound, is destroyed.  The primary auditory nerve may be damaged, but is generally intact.  As long as you have the auditory never you can potentially use the CI.

• You must have had some sound in your life.  The auditory nerve must at one time be used to something.  However you could be deaf for decades and use a CI just great.

• The implant works best if you use it right after deafness occurs.  This preserves a majority of the work you brain and nerves have done.  Also it makes recognizing speech easier.  Again you do no have to do this, adults that are profoundly deaf can use the implant years after their last sound experience.

• You should use the CI only if nothing else really works in auditory technology.  Basically if you function perfectly fine with signing and a hearing aid the CI will not work for you.  If you read lips and speak, the CI might not be right for you.  For the CI to work you must spend years perfecting it and really working with it.  In this case you must have a real drive to pursue this.  It is not easy.  It is not a cure.

• Along with the difficulty you must have a strong support system.  Your family and friends need to help you for years to get the CI to work.  Of course they will see the CI as a cure and may forget that you still have trouble with loud noises, soft speakers, or any other difficult hearing situation.

What does this mean for the deaf community?

Are cochlear implants going to kill the deaf community?  Originally some people did argue that.  CIs were once considered to be the worst thing to happen to deaf people.  They feared that many deaf people would fly to their doctors and get the procedure.  After that they felt that people would hear fine and not worry about deaf rights.  Originally the National Association of Deaf was against the implants.  After more than a decade they saw that CIs are not a magic bullet.  Plus those with the implants do actively contribute to deaf culture and help with deaf rights.  People with cochlear implants are deaf.  They are not cured by procedure.  Now NAD wants to provide balanced information for people considering the operation.  (More info can be found on the links page.)

Cochlear implants mean that people who are deaf can do more.  The amount of hearing that is increased can either be minute or monstrous.  This is important if you are a music teacher.  More and more cochlear implants are seen as a different kind of hearing aid.  Also due to the fact that CIs do not work for everyone ensure the survival of deaf culture.

 Does this mean that deafness is a disability?

One of the most important aspects of deaf culture is the strident support of deaf rights.  One of the most important points in history was the passing of the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act.  This insured that people with physical or mental challenges in their lives would be able to expect reasonable accommodation for their difficulties.  The deaf community has seized this opportunity and tried to make the world more open for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons.  The deaf community does not see deafness as a disability; it is an identity that they are a apart of each person.

However with the advent of CIs, more and more people are wondering why the deaf community has not fully embraced the implants.  These non-differently abled people see deafness as a disability and see CIs as a cure.  However it is not a cure.  Plus even those people who CIs would work great for do not want them.  That is an important distinction.  People should be able to choose the implant or not.  Deafness is not a disability, it is simply moving, acting, and perceiving in a different world, a world without sound.