Deaf is not a handicap for , DJ, and other

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/28/2004 11:01:28 PM Pacific Standard Time,

Jrmatheson@... writes:

There are so MANY pre-lingual

deaf that are doing wonderfully with their implants. I do have strong

desire to REMAIN in the hearing world and I am able to do that without

having to give my real world for deaf world where I will be unhappy.

THANK YOU!

I am one of pre-lingual, born profoundly deaf too and making GREAT and

" better than expected " progress in the 3 weeks i have been turned on. The

success

in my audie's opinion was due my strong lipreading/hearing skill with hearing

aid that I practually worn at almost 100% of my waking hours for the past 43

years. I also have strong language concept to give credit too.

Will I go back to hearing aid? NO!

Any pre-lingual CAN do it if they have the motivation and desire.

Lee

12-12-03 N24C

1-8-04 3G

[Guest guest]

DJ and -

Well, deafness may not be viewed as handicap by many Deaf people. I view

it as a unnecessary challenge for me. But I have learned many valuable

things from being deaf but it's time for me to enter the world of pure

sounds. I do know sign language and am proficient signer because I have

some good teachers :-).

Some of Deaf people will reject the person with implant because they are

ignorant about whole cochlear implant... Yes, implant don't make you 100%

hearing person but it facilitates our life by providing pure sounds

directly to the nerve. It will make a person VERY hard of hearing. I was

rejected by many deaf people for having a implant but do that affect me?

NO! I was prepared for that to happen and that has helped me see who are

my real friends. My parents know how to sign but they are not very

skilled. Now, they don't have to rely on sign language to communicate

with me anymore because I am able to hear them perfectly and be able to

communicate back to them without any worry of making some mistakes while

I speak. It have enriched my life with freedom from unnecessary stress of

being deaf and with rich sounds which has opened up my world. I am proud

to have so many deaf friends and more than 3/4 of them have cochlear

implants. I know few people who decided that cochlear implant is not

their thing... That's their decision and I respect that because it is

their choice to remain in silent world.

Well, about children with implant... Many professionals recommend the

parents to not use sign language when they are young because it require a

lot of work for one deaf child to learn how to speak the language.. Let

alone two languages at the same time! The child can always learn how to

sign later in their life but they can't learn how to speak later because

it is vital for them to learn how to speak while their brain are like

sponge when they are young. Also the world don't use sign language as

primary method to communicate. I have witnessed many deaf people having

hard time communicate with the hearing people who don't sign. For

instance, my second cousin Cade who got his implant before his first

birthday in September. His mother was in emotional turmoil about how to

communicate with her only son. Now, she can communciate with him like a

normal hearing child without running for sign language book to look up

the sign. Many parents made wise decision by implanting their child as

soon as they can. I kind of wish that I was implanted when I was infant

but that was not possible because of my profound hearing loss.

DJ- I strongly disagree with you about the cochlear implant companies

misleading the people by guaranteeing that they will be able to hear and

understand speech. If you look in the brochure, you will see the

statistic that show that most of people can understand the speech....

Also they show that small percentage of people don't understand speech...

That's fact because I have witnessed that myself through many of my

friends who have CI. Most of them can understand speech fine while other

have hard time but they are making an progress slowly.

" The most successful CI recipients are post lingual or latened deaf

persons who have always lived in the hearing world and have lost or are

loosing the ability to do that and have a strong desire to return to

that world. " That is BS. I am pre-lingual deaf and I was born deaf thank

to that so called my birth mother who is deaf. I can use phone and listen

with my ear without lipreading wonderfully. There are so MANY pre-lingual

deaf that are doing wonderfully with their implants. I do have strong

desire to REMAIN in the hearing world and I am able to do that without

having to give my real world for deaf world where I will be unhappy. When

I have a deaf child, they will get cochlear implant as their birthday

present because I want them to be able to live in the real world without

any help....

THAT IS MY OPINIONS! IF I OFFEND ANYBODY THEN I AM SORRY.

Jarom

________________________________________________________________

The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!

Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!

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[Guest guest]

Well, thank you for all of the info! Since meeting Chauncey and

being introduced to the Deaf community I have come to realize that

Deaf or Hard of Hearing people are so far from being hadicaped or

disabled. Yes there are challenges with communicating with the

hearing world, but that does not stop Deaf or Hard of Hearing people

from thriving and becoming successfull, productive, wonderful human

beings! I do think that some people are less fortunate, for various

reasons, one of which I have tried to explain to him, stems from not

being priveliged to have a good support system throughout life. And

that is the same in the hearing world too! He is very successfull

in his life and I only ever wished that he could hear just to enjoy

sound, not for communication purpose, because he has no problem

communicating with both his Deaf friends and hearing friends and

family. But of course now that we are learning about what this can

do for him we are realizing what a difference it can make in his

life. I am now starting to wonder from reading through these and

other CI group messages, how there are some people who are

completely educated about the CI and others like Chauncey and his

friends who have no clue! I was very suprised myself to find that

this technology has been around for more than 20 years and that he

tells me that only once before maybe 10 years ago was there any

discusion on it that he was aware of! I was suprised because the

man goes to almost every Deaf event in the northeast US, having

friends all over the United States, he stays on the computer, and is

more intellegent than any other man I've had in my life! But I

strongly feel that some, if not all, of the blame has to fall onto

doctors still living in the dark ages, who dont take the time to

educate themselves or their Deaf patients! Chauncey did not even

know how to say aahhh so his primary care doctor could look at his

throat! And this is the doctor who cared for him from infancy!

needless to say he is now switching doctors! But anyway!!!!

Whatever he decides for himself to be best I will completely

support. but i think now he is starting to think about the fact

that his friends are so out of touch with whats happening and whats

available, that i think he is hoping to help them educate themselves

too! Well, we have a lot of learning ahead of us, and again I

cannot thank all of you enough for comments, info, and sharing with

us.

> DJ and -

>

> Well, deafness may not be viewed as handicap by many Deaf people.

I view

> it as a unnecessary challenge for me. But I have learned many

valuable

> things from being deaf but it's time for me to enter the world of

pure

> sounds. I do know sign language and am proficient signer because I

have

> some good teachers :-).

>

> Some of Deaf people will reject the person with implant because

they are

> ignorant about whole cochlear implant... Yes, implant don't make

you 100%

> hearing person but it facilitates our life by providing pure sounds

> directly to the nerve. It will make a person VERY hard of hearing.

I was

> rejected by many deaf people for having a implant but do that

affect me?

> NO! I was prepared for that to happen and that has helped me see

who are

> my real friends. My parents know how to sign but they are not very

> skilled. Now, they don't have to rely on sign language to

communicate

> with me anymore because I am able to hear them perfectly and be

able to

> communicate back to them without any worry of making some mistakes

while

> I speak. It have enriched my life with freedom from unnecessary

stress of

> being deaf and with rich sounds which has opened up my world. I am

proud

> to have so many deaf friends and more than 3/4 of them have

cochlear

> implants. I know few people who decided that cochlear implant is

not

> their thing... That's their decision and I respect that because

it is

> their choice to remain in silent world.

>

> Well, about children with implant... Many professionals recommend

the

> parents to not use sign language when they are young because it

require a

> lot of work for one deaf child to learn how to speak the

language.. Let

> alone two languages at the same time! The child can always learn

how to

> sign later in their life but they can't learn how to speak later

because

> it is vital for them to learn how to speak while their brain are

like

> sponge when they are young. Also the world don't use sign language

as

> primary method to communicate. I have witnessed many deaf people

having

> hard time communicate with the hearing people who don't sign. For

> instance, my second cousin Cade who got his implant before his

first

> birthday in September. His mother was in emotional turmoil about

how to

> communicate with her only son. Now, she can communciate with him

like a

> normal hearing child without running for sign language book to

look up

> the sign. Many parents made wise decision by implanting their

child as

> soon as they can. I kind of wish that I was implanted when I was

infant

> but that was not possible because of my profound hearing loss.

>

> DJ- I strongly disagree with you about the cochlear implant

companies

> misleading the people by guaranteeing that they will be able to

hear and

> understand speech. If you look in the brochure, you will see the

> statistic that show that most of people can understand the

speech....

> Also they show that small percentage of people don't understand

speech...

> That's fact because I have witnessed that myself through many of my

> friends who have CI. Most of them can understand speech fine while

other

> have hard time but they are making an progress slowly.

>

> " The most successful CI recipients are post lingual or latened

deaf

> persons who have always lived in the hearing world and have lost

or are

> loosing the ability to do that and have a strong desire to return

to

> that world. " That is BS. I am pre-lingual deaf and I was born

deaf thank

> to that so called my birth mother who is deaf. I can use phone and

listen

> with my ear without lipreading wonderfully. There are so MANY pre-

lingual

> deaf that are doing wonderfully with their implants. I do have

strong

> desire to REMAIN in the hearing world and I am able to do that

without

> having to give my real world for deaf world where I will be

unhappy. When

> I have a deaf child, they will get cochlear implant as their

birthday

> present because I want them to be able to live in the real world

without

> any help....

>

>

> THAT IS MY OPINIONS! IF I OFFEND ANYBODY THEN I AM SORRY.

>

> Jarom

>

>

> ________________________________________________________________

> The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!

> Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!

> Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

[Guest guest]

From my own personal experience, my d/Deaf friends who knew me before my CI

surgery were really cool about my decision. They are true friends and they

like me the way I am. And they never tried to change who I am. Anyone who

would

reject a person with a Cochlear Implant was never a real friend in the first

place.

A.

In a message dated 1/28/04 11:01:25 PM Pacific Standard Time,

Jrmatheson@... writes:

> Some of Deaf people will reject the person with implant because they are

>