Newsgroups: bit.listserv.deaf-l
Date:         Tue, 10 Nov 1992 09:53:22 EST
From:         "(Esther A. Paris)" <esther@DEMAND.ED.RAY.COM>
Subject:      60 Minutes, Angels and Outcasts, etc

I find it ironic that I have never watched 60 Minutes
before in my whole life.  My hubby and I had just returned
from a mini-vacation, and had had the TV on all afternoon
with really lame awful Sci-fi movies from other countries.
I couldn't take any more Sci-fi after the second stupid one
was finished.  (My brain was very numb!)  So, I was channel
hopping with the MUTE button activated, saw the 60 Minutes
logo, and decided to stop there for a change.  I was working
on one of my Christmas gifts (needlework) and turned up the
volume when the commercials were done.  Lo and behold, a
story on Cochlear Implants!  I was downright shocked!

Here, in brief, is my opinions on the story as presented:

	- all those TV pseudo-news shows are alike.  They
	  (the writers/interviewers) pick their champions
	  and try their darndest to make the opposite camp
	  look like selfish greedy egotistical idiots.  In
	  this case, those in the CI camp are the champs and
	  those who are against CI were portrayed as selfish
	  greedy egotistical idiots.  Makes for good sport I
	  guess.

	- They deliberately edited what the NAD spokesperson had
	  to say.  She was signing and signing and signing and
	  her voice interpreter was cut off in midsentence.  Only
	  those who could read her ASL could see all of what they
	  showed on the tape.  Those who listened for the English
	  were robbed.  Very unfair.  Very convenient for the "good
	  guys".

	- The NAD's main point (from what I saw and heard) was that they
	  are concerned with the emotional health of the child above all.
	  If the child is constantly probed, examined, tuned, tweeked,
	  adjusted, tested, probed, interviewed, adjusted, tested... instead
	  of just being a child who is loved 100%, then the child is being
	  robbed of a big part of childhood.  Normal children don't constantly
	  trek to the Dr's for probing and fine tuning.  Deaf children without
	  CI don't constantly trek to the Dr's for probing and fine tuning.
	  Children who are constantly probed and fine tuned develop a self
	  image of "I am deaf and have a CI and my name is Natalie".  The
	  deafness and CI are first, identity is second.  Normal children have
	  a self image of "I am Natalie".  Deaf children who aren't constantly
	  treking to the Dr's for probing and fine tuning develop a self
	  image of "I am Natalie", and possibly "I am Natalie and I am deaf."

	- They explained well how the CI works.  The little girl (now 7, deafened
	  very young by meningitis) seemed to understand how it worked.  They did
	  NOT say that meningitis patients have a low success rate with CI.

	- They interviewed the parents quite a bit.  They let the parents tell
	  how they made the decision to try CI.  The parents did not mention
	  other Deaf adults or deaf culture.

	- VERY TELLING ENDING: the little girl was asked if she wanted to keep on
	  using the CI.  The answer was YES as Steve C pointed out.  However, they
	  asked her if she had one wish what it would be and she answered, "I wish
	  I were normal."  Tell me, does this ratify what the NAD has to say, or
	  what?

One should not be 7 years and think of oneself as defective.  Do you agree?

Also, I just got my copy of _Angels and Outcasts, An Anthology of Deaf
 Characters
in Literature_ and read first "Why it was W-on-the-eyes".  (It was short and I
was pressed for time.)  Has anyone else read it?  I found it very very powerful!

Third and last, I saw Deaf Mosaic this weekend and they had Henry Kisor on!  I
thought of you, Lew!  It was a very interesting interview with HK.  Deaf Mosaic
had a similar story about Cochlear Implants on a while ago.  They did a much
 more
fair analysis of this very complicated issue.  My opinion, of course.

I God ever blesses hubby and me with children, I don't hope one way or the other
about deafness.  Both hubby and I are hearing.  I bet he hopes for hearing, but
I've never asked him.  But we certainly have enough Deaf Adults in our lives
 that
deafness would not be considered a tragedy.  If the kids don't end up in prison
for heinous crimes, I'll be a successful parent.  They don't gotta be lawyers or
rocket scientists or lawyers or anything.  Just good people, that's all I hope
 for.

Well, this is getting awfully long, but what else have I got to do while I wait
for a vendor to call me back to help me debug yet another problem.   Sit, wait,
stare at the wall, type a bit... wait some more.  Type at you all later!

Esther Paris, Raytheon EDL, Marlborough, MA   esther@demand.ed.ray.com