Cochlear Implant, Superb or Spoiling?

When speaking about disabilities, it always seems like something to be looked down upon. There are always doctors trying to correct these disabilities, and not thinking of the repercussions. Sound and Fury brought a new perspective to the deaf culture with further analysis on the cochlear implant that corrects hearing on the disabled. This film brings in two families from different backgrounds and bearing a deaf child, and they need to choose between giving their child the cochlear implant or keeping them the way that they were born.

The first family was completely deaf, and they were submersed in the deaf culture. When they found out about giving the cochlear implant to their daughter, they were quite skeptical. After visiting numerous public schools and hospitals, it was concluded that their daughter seemed out of touch with the hearing world. She wanted to hear because she wanted to be able to speak to the children that couldn’t use sign language. The public schools only seemed to discourage her and push her away from what was socially normal. Visits to the hospital only seemed to discourage the family and her more. Even if the operation was successful, it would take time to develop because the daughter is at the age of five. The parents of the daughter seemed to be losing interest because after more visitations to families who had gone through with the cochlear implant, they were out of touch with the deaf culture. The family would’ve made their final decision right there, but there were others who disagreed because they would re restricting the child from being able to operate in an ever-changing world.

The next family was fully capable of hearing. When they realized there son was deaf, they wanted to take immediate action. The cochlear implant seemed like a marvelous idea. When you’re deaf, you have limitations. You can only communicate with people that know sign language, and this leaves you out of an entire culture. With the cochlear implant, you would be able to communicate with both the hearing and the deaf world (considering you would learn sign language). Life would be much easier, and you would have a higher chance of success in the business world as well. The family knew the right choice for their six month old baby, but they were being criticized by the deaf culture because the baby couldn’t choose for itself. They wanted the family to wait until the baby could make its own decision, but the longer you wait, the chances of the operation being successful diminish. Most people feel like the baby won’t want to be in touch with the deaf culture after successfully having the implant, and that’s a major reason to why families don’t want their children to have this operation.

The first family decided on moving to a more socially accepting deaf community where the five year old daughter could continue to be deaf and receive a good education in the process. The other family chose to get the cochlear implant for their child in hopes of making his life easier and making him feel included in the world. There are conflicts to both sides, and it’s an interesting and difficult choice to consider when two different cultures rest on the line. I have one question I’d like you to consider though. If someone was blind, it would seem that the proper treatment to fix it would be extinct, but when it’s dealing with deafness the opposite seems to occur, why?