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Date:         Thu, 12 Nov 1992 09:31:39 -0500
From:         "Mark J. Dessert" <11MDESSERT@GALLUA.BITNET>
Subject:      Re: 60 Minutes, Angels and Outcasts, etc

>I once talked with Harlan Lane, and I asked him if he was against implants.
>He said that no, he wasnt against implants, he was against putting them in
>people who didnt have the power to choose. This includes deaf children since
>they dont full comprehension of what the decision means.

>Now I can understand the parent wanting to implant as soon as possible
>because the child learns so much when it is young, but I can understand
>that a parent could also be misled about whether to implant or not.

>My suggestion is to get multiple *objective* opinions from both clinics AND any
>some sort of community lab. I was tested at MIT and they told me an implant
>would not do me any good.

>Adam Skwersky

        Adam makes some excellant points here.  When hearing parents
give birth to a deaf child, they tend to view that child as defective or
deficient, rather than a member of a unique subculture.  The natural
reaction is to desire to do whatever is possible to correct the defect.
It often goes beyond the needs of the child.  It is natural for many
parents to view their children as extensions of themselves.  Their
child's deafness also evokes strong feelings of guilt, along with
feelings of concern for the well being of their child.  This is what can
leave parents vulnerable to making the wrong decision for their child.

        Most parents in this situation will seek advice from the medical
profession, audiologists, and educators.  It is not likely today for
hearing parents to seek out the National Association of the Deaf or
other members of the Deaf Community for advice.  Doctors, audiologists
and hearing educators are woefully ignorant of the needs of persons with
hearing impairments, period.

        If I might offer my own experience.  I grew up hearing and
developed a progressive hearing loss at the age of 25.  By the age of 33
I could no longer function without hearing aids.  Between 1980 and 1991
I saw many doctors including ENTS, Neurologists, Neuro-Ophthalmologists
and an inner ear specialist.  I also was serviced by two different
audiologists.  During that time my hearing continued to deteriorate and
the cause of my hearing loss remained unknown until just recently.  The
only advice I ever received was to obtain hearing aids and to purchase
more powerful ones as my hearing deteriorated.

        I feel very fortunate that when I applied to the Department of
Vocational Rehabilitation, my counselor was deaf and worked with an
interpreter.  In the last thirteen years, she is the one person to
suggest that it might be a good idea for me to learn sign language.  It
is now three years later.  I am deaf, I am becoming comfortable in
communicating visually with other people who sign and I am a Social Work
major at Gallaudet University.  Had it not been for that Deaf woman who
opened my eyes regarding another option for communication, (ASL), I
would be living on a disability pension right now without much chance to
socialize with other people.  I would have wound up bitter and islolated
and I am still quite young.

        It is really imperative for the National Association of the Deaf
and other members of the Deaf Community to be as assertive as they are.
The hearing community does not yet view their contribution to society
with the respect and credibility they deserve.  They understand better
what the needs of a deaf child may be, since they themselves grew up
deaf.

        In a previous posting I made reference to a recent article by
Harlan Lane.  For anyone interested, the title is:

"Cochlear Implants Are Wrong for Young Deaf Children~

        The above article appeared in the March, 1992 edition of the NAD
Broadcaster and included a list of twenty-one references to back up the
facts that Professor Lane presents.  Professor Lane presents an
interesting analogy at the end of the article which gives strong support
to why cochlear implants should not be implanted in young deaf children.
I heartily endorse reading it.  It is well worth the time and effort of
searching it out for anyone interested in the welfare of deaf children.

                                Mark Dessert

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      Strip me of my wealth; take my life, but please don't let me die in
      ignorance.

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