The Controversy of Cochlear Implants
Melissa Weeks
Professor Christina Hitchcock
HUMA 150 Critical Thinking
24 April 2012
Melissa Weeks: The Controversy of Cochlear Implants While composing this research paper, I had been asked what topic I chose by a few close friends. Most of the time, the person interested in the topic I chose, had no clue what a cochlear implant is. This is the first issue I’m concerned about. Another concern is the choices that are made by hearing parents of a deaf child. Does the parent consider if their deaf child will be considered Deaf? There are two definitions of deaf. One definition is lower case, and the other upper case. The lower case word refers to hearing loss. The upper case word refers to the Deaf Culture or using Sign. The question still remains.
This topic interests me because I have been around Sign since I could remember. Being raised in a church that had an interpreter at every service had a profound impact on my interests. At a young age, I was taught how to Sign the alphabet, numbers, and simple songs. I also took 2 years of American Sign Language at my high school. After high school, I then became more involved in the Deaf community. I learned more and more about their Culture on a daily basis. This is what has made me so passionate about the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I feel the topic of the Deaf Culture isn’t as known by hearing as it should be. This in turn has a direct impact on a hearing parent that has found out their child is deaf.
A Cochlear Implant is a device that provides direct electrical stimulation to the auditory nerve in the inner ear says Boswell. She also states that the device has internal and external components. The external parts include a microphone, a speech processor, and a transmitter and the internal parts include the receiver and electrodes. These electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve and completely bypass the damaged hair cells in the inner ear. The processor turns the sound digital and sends it to the transmitter.
Professor Christina Hitchcock
HUMA 150 Critical Thinking
24 April 2012
Melissa Weeks: The Controversy of Cochlear Implants While composing this research paper, I had been asked what topic I chose by a few close friends. Most of the time, the person interested in the topic I chose, had no clue what a cochlear implant is. This is the first issue I’m concerned about. Another concern is the choices that are made by hearing parents of a deaf child. Does the parent consider if their deaf child will be considered Deaf? There are two definitions of deaf. One definition is lower case, and the other upper case. The lower case word refers to hearing loss. The upper case word refers to the Deaf Culture or using Sign. The question still remains.
This topic interests me because I have been around Sign since I could remember. Being raised in a church that had an interpreter at every service had a profound impact on my interests. At a young age, I was taught how to Sign the alphabet, numbers, and simple songs. I also took 2 years of American Sign Language at my high school. After high school, I then became more involved in the Deaf community. I learned more and more about their Culture on a daily basis. This is what has made me so passionate about the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I feel the topic of the Deaf Culture isn’t as known by hearing as it should be. This in turn has a direct impact on a hearing parent that has found out their child is deaf.
A Cochlear Implant is a device that provides direct electrical stimulation to the auditory nerve in the inner ear says Boswell. She also states that the device has internal and external components. The external parts include a microphone, a speech processor, and a transmitter and the internal parts include the receiver and electrodes. These electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve and completely bypass the damaged hair cells in the inner ear. The processor turns the sound digital and sends it to the transmitter.
Cited: Page Blume, Stuart. Artificial Ear : Cochlear Implants and the Culture of Deafness. New Brunswick: 2009. eBook. http://ezproxy.manchestercommunitycollege.edu:2068/lib/ccsnhmanchester/docDetail.action?docID=10393230&p00=cochlear implant Boswell Susan, . "Cochlear Implants." American speech-language-hearing association. ASHA, 2012. Web. 26 Apr 2012. <http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Cochlear-Implant/>. Hyde, Marv, Renee Punch, and et al. "Coming to a Decision About Cochlear Implantation: Parents Making Choices for their Deaf Children." Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. Oxford University Press, 2010. Web. 27 Apr 2012. http://intl-jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/content/15/2/162.full Marschark, Marc. Raising and Educating a Deaf Child: A Comprehensive Guide to the Choices, Controversies, and Decsions Faced by Parents and Educators. Cary: Oxford University Press, 2007. eBook. http://exproxy.manchestercommunitycollege.edu:2068/lib/ccsnhmanchester/docDetail.action?docID=10225205&p00=cochlearimplant Schorr, Efrat, et al. “Quality of Life for Children With Cochlear Implants: Perceived Benefits and Problems and the Perception of Single Words and Emotional Sounds.” “Journal of Speeach Language & Hearing Research. 52.1 (2009): 141-152. Print. Sparrow, Robert “Defending deaf culture: the case of cochlear implants.” Northeaster Illinois University. Blackwell Publishing, 2005. Web. 23 Apr 2012. http://www.neiu.edu/~gmoreno1/Special_Education__Courses_with_Dr._Moreno/Module_Nine_files/ActivitySix.pdf Sparrow, Robert. "Implants And Ethnocide: Learning From The Cochlear Implant Controversy." Disability & Society 25.4 (2010): 455-466. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.