You are a very passionate person and seem quite knowledgeable on the subject.
I think the overall point was being frustrated with people who choose to avoid treatments that could work just for an "easy ride", ignoring of course that being deaf or mute or disabled in any way is not an easy ride.
If a treatment is right for people, they should consider taking it. Not staying disabled for the sake of being disabled and the points they get for it by people, you know?
And if the treatment doesn't work, they shouldn't be shamed for not being able to hear or talk or see. We can help people. That's fine and good and a part of our foundational values
Would you think CIs is the right treatment for me, who have been deaf pretty much my whole life and that's a little over 40 years?
That means I'll be training my brain to understand the vibrations being sent to my lobes and it may take me 20 years or longer to finally understand what's being "said"? Maybe never, seeing how hearing aids didn't work for me and I started wearing them when I was a baby and wore them everyday until I turned 21 yr old and eventually chucked them out. For 21 years, it never worked for me.
CI's isn't perfect. I've seen a lot of deaf people who got CI's either when they were a baby or later in their adult life and they said it didn't work out the way they expected it to.
It's quite rare to find someone who said the CI's is a success for them. I've met some who said it's a success for them then I asked them if they can use the phone, listen to a movie at the theater without subtitles, carry a conversation without using sign language AND not reading lips? They said meekly, "No..." so that's not what I call a success.
I've gotten used to being deaf for a long time so do you honestly think I'd jump at the opportunity to have half of my head cut open to implant a CI and be told, "It may work. It may not work but we'll give it a try and see what happens." ? If it was something like I've suddenly became deaf as recent as last year then I may be interested in getting CIs because I'm sure I'd like to be able to hear again, even if it will be effective about 50% of the time.
I've been deaf my whole life and I've gotten used to it. Honestly I'm fine with who I am so why bother being able to hear about 20% of the time, more or less, and risk having scarring and possible brain damage/severe headaches/vertigo?
If it doesn't work then I'd have it taken out of my head, which will then leave an ugly scar on my head then I'll have people asking me what happened to my head? Did I get into a car accident or have someone bash my head open?
Are you also fine with the doctor forcing parents to have their kids put on CIs and if not, they'd be ridiculed by the doctor and maybe the doctor's staff? This actually happened to my deaf friends who have 4 deaf kids and each time they had a baby, the doctor forced them to have their kid be put on CIs. They have had 4 DIFFERENT doctors and 4 DIFFERENT doctors said the same thing to them. Even one held their baby "hostage" for a week because the doctor refused to let them leave the hospital if their kid wasn't going to get CIs. My friends threatened to sue the doctor so the doctor gave up the baby and let them go home.
At this point, CIs may appear to be a "perfect" solution or even a better solution over hearing aids, but it's nowhere close to being perfect. MAYBE better than hearing aids but I wouldn't know as I don't have CIs and honestly, I'll never will get it, even if CI technology has finally gotten to the point where it works effectively 85% of the time.
You are a very passionate person and seem quite knowledgeable on the subject.
I think the overall point was being frustrated with people who choose to avoid treatments that could work just for an "easy ride", ignoring of course that being deaf or mute or disabled in any way is not an easy ride.
If a treatment is right for people, they should consider taking it. Not staying disabled for the sake of being disabled and the points they get for it by people, you know?
And if the treatment doesn't work, they shouldn't be shamed for not being able to hear or talk or see. We can help people. That's fine and good and a part of our foundational values
Would you think CIs is the right treatment for me, who have been deaf pretty much my whole life and that's a little over 40 years?
That means I'll be training my brain to understand the vibrations being sent to my lobes and it may take me 20 years or longer to finally understand what's being "said"? Maybe never, seeing how hearing aids didn't work for me and I started wearing them when I was a baby and wore them everyday until I turned 21 yr old and eventually chucked them out. For 21 years, it never worked for me.
CI's isn't perfect. I've seen a lot of deaf people who got CI's either when they were a baby or later in their adult life and they said it didn't work out the way they expected it to.
It's quite rare to find someone who said the CI's is a success for them. I've met some who said it's a success for them then I asked them if they can use the phone, listen to a movie at the theater without subtitles, carry a conversation without using sign language AND not reading lips? They said meekly, "No..." so that's not what I call a success.
I've gotten used to being deaf for a long time so do you honestly think I'd jump at the opportunity to have half of my head cut open to implant a CI and be told, "It may work. It may not work but we'll give it a try and see what happens." ? If it was something like I've suddenly became deaf as recent as last year then I may be interested in getting CIs because I'm sure I'd like to be able to hear again, even if it will be effective about 50% of the time.
I've been deaf my whole life and I've gotten used to it. Honestly I'm fine with who I am so why bother being able to hear about 20% of the time, more or less, and risk having scarring and possible brain damage/severe headaches/vertigo?
If it doesn't work then I'd have it taken out of my head, which will then leave an ugly scar on my head then I'll have people asking me what happened to my head? Did I get into a car accident or have someone bash my head open?
Are you also fine with the doctor forcing parents to have their kids put on CIs and if not, they'd be ridiculed by the doctor and maybe the doctor's staff? This actually happened to my deaf friends who have 4 deaf kids and each time they had a baby, the doctor forced them to have their kid be put on CIs. They have had 4 DIFFERENT doctors and 4 DIFFERENT doctors said the same thing to them. Even one held their baby "hostage" for a week because the doctor refused to let them leave the hospital if their kid wasn't going to get CIs. My friends threatened to sue the doctor so the doctor gave up the baby and let them go home.
At this point, CIs may appear to be a "perfect" solution or even a better solution over hearing aids, but it's nowhere close to being perfect. MAYBE better than hearing aids but I wouldn't know as I don't have CIs and honestly, I'll never will get it, even if CI technology has finally gotten to the point where it works effectively 85% of the time.
TIL about cochlear implants
Thank you for sharing this!