Watching this video really opened my eyes. I never realized that deaf people felt that their world was living inside another. A person would have to lead an entirely different way of life to truly understand them. Throughout the film I found myself constantly changing my stance on the issue because I could see valid arguments on both sides. The main argument I had against the implant is the fact that I don’t know what it is like to be deaf.
That made me realize, yes, I don’t know what is like to be deaf, so I have no evidence to believe that someone’s life would be better that way. I realized that I belong to the “hearing discourse,” and that is all I have ever known. That’s how I decided that if in the future I was to have a child that was born deaf, I would get the cochlear implant for them. The hearing world is the one I thrive in. My entire family can hear, my friends can hear, and the vast majority of my community can hear. I would want my child to grow up in the world I was familiar with, so I could help them succeed and be the best they can be. If they did not have the implant, I am not sure how well I would be able to communicate with them. I would always feel an invisible barrier between the two of us.
The evidence I have actually comes from the deaf family in the film. Since their entire family is deaf, they felt it was best that Heather did not get the transplant—the deaf world was the one they thrived in. If Heather was to get an implant, they felt she would be taken out of their world and be placed in one that was unfamiliar to them. In other words, they would be losing a connection to their daughter. My argument has the same intention behind it, yet it comes from a different perspective.
I was happy to see that the deaf people in the movie didn’t feel that they had a disability. They had a positive outlook on life, and people who have that are always the happiest. I have to say I disagree with them though. Peter said he was in a high position at his job, yet he also stated he had trouble communicating with his co-workers. He also knew that there was no hope of him climbing the corporate ladder. To me, this is a handicap. Something that prevents you from becoming something you want to be is a handicap.
How do we determine what is better for someone? Most of us have only lived in one world—either the hearing or the deaf. We are biased because we only know one side of the story. It would be interesting to ask someone who has lived in both worlds to see what they think.
I would definitely agree with you Danielle that this documentary opened my eyes. I too never realized how important the deaf world was too the deaf people. Personally, my opinion never changed but it was very difficult to choose given that I was not born deaf. I think there is a difference if I were to become deaf. It is just not the same. I would have to agree that I would want my child to be in the Hearing Discourse. It seems like there are more possibilities for a hearing person. But I guess we both decide this based on the fact that we are part of the Hearing Discourse. We (hopefully) will never be in the Non-hearing Discourse ourselves. It makes sense that you think that Heather should not get the implant, but I believe that she would be in both Discourses no matter if she got the implant or not since she is in a deaf family and was born deaf. It is very difficult to decide on.
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle!
ReplyDeleteThis video was eye-opening to me too. It was very interesting to see a different discourse than the one we were born into. Each side, either for or against the implant did have valid arguments. I would get a cochlear implant for my child as well. I liked the way you described the “invisible barrier” between oneself and a deaf child. It does make sense that Heather’s parents would want her in the deaf world, because that is all they know and it’s how they have built their life. But do you feel that it is also the child's decision if he/she is old enough? It's understandable to think of deafness as a handicap because it is limiting. I like your last paragraph; it brought up some good points. It would be hard to say due to the fact that I am only in the hearing discourse. Nice blog post!
Very insightful essay Danielle, you make a lot of really good points! I felt the same way when you stated, "That made me realize, yes, I don’t know what is like to be deaf, so I have no evidence to believe that someone’s life would be better that way." its hard to make a decision regarding a deaf child when we really have no idea what they are going through and how that will change the,. ultimately I feel like it would be beneficial for both parties. Great article!!!
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