Introduction:
Cochlear implants is a small, complex electronic device that aids in providing a sense of sound by bypassing damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of hearing (NIDCD, 2008). Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound (ibid.). Although there have been few objections to the use of cochlear implants in postlingually deaf adults, there are arguments from the deaf community that the parents of deaf children have no right to force their children to have a cochlear implant (Fleurette, F., et.al., n.d.).
Cochlear Implants or No Cochlear Implants
As hearing parents without any knowledge of the sign language and the deaf community prefer to integrate their children to the hearing world, it is also the basic human right for every person to have access to medical technology that will improve their quality of life. Since young children are not in a position to make decisions on whether to get a cochlear implant or not, the decisions are usually left in the hands of the parents or legal guardians as mandated in the medical law of ethics. While the brain is still in a developing phase and experiencing interpretation of senses, there is a strong preference to perform the implant at a very young age for the congenitally hearing impaired children (Sign Genius, 2008). Hence, the recipients of the cochlear implants do not make their own choice (ibid.).
The deaf community feels that cochlear implants are an affront to their culture and it is difficult to accept something that would take someone’s entire culture into question (CBS News, 1998). They feel that parents and the medical profession fail to understand the value of the deaf culture and they believe that there is an assumption by hearing people that because deaf people are different they are inferior and want to be able to hear (Powerhouse Museum, n.d.). There is also a contention that children with cochlear implants are more likely to be educated orally and isolated from other deaf children and from sign language (Spencer and Marschark, 2003).
Conclusion
Most parents who have congenitally deaf children have no knowledge of the sign language and are not aware of the deaf community. Parents and medical specialist have considered cochlear implants for their children to maximize their ability to access the spoken language, environmental sounds and for better integration to the community where oral communication is possible. The deaf community on the other hand believes that children should not be forced to have cochlear implants and the choice must be left to the children when they are old enough. Their community is a culture and their common language is the American Sign Language.
References
CBS News (1998). The Cochlear Implant Controversy. CBS Worldwide, Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2008 from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/06/02/sunday/main10794.shtml
Fleurette, F. et.al. (n.d.). Cochlear implants in young children: medical, social and ethical issues. Annu Meet Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 11: Abstract No. 76. ANDEM, Paris, France. Retrieved April 28, 2008 from http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102215830.html
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (2008). Cochlear Implants. Retrieved April 28, 2008 from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp
Powerhouse Museum (n.d.). Social and Ethical Issues of Cochlear Implants. Retrieved April 28, 2008 from http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/hsc/cochlear/social_ethical.htm
Signgenius (2008). Cochlear Implant: Ethical Issues. Retrieved April 28, 2008 from
http://www.signgenius.com/cochlear-implant/cochlear-implant-debate.shtml
Spencer, Patricia Elizabeth and Marc Marschark. (2003). Cochlear Implants: Issues and Implications. In ‘Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language and Education’, ed. Marc Marschark and Patricia Elizabeth Spencer, 434-450. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
