Cochlear Implant Pros And Cons

Throughout the years technology has drastically changed. From for example the typewriter to computers and printers. Although a lot of technology only benefitted hearing people. Like for example the telephone. Now when the telephone first came out it was a way for people to communicate and socialize, but how were deaf people supposed to do that if they can’t hear through the phone. For almost 100 year after its invention, the telephone separated deaf people from the rest of society. This also effected deaf people in their jobs because they were denied promotions due to the fact that they needed to use the phone and they couldn’t. However they did invent things to help deaf people communicate. Like for example in 1964, Robert Weitbrecht, a deaf
scientist, developed an acoustic coupler that converted sounds into text and vice versa. The result of their labors was called a TTY, or teletypewriter, and later a TDD, short hand for “telecommunications device for the deaf”. This is how it work, by using a standard telephone handset placed on a coupler, then the TTY transmitted and received information and translated into a printed text via a teletype machine. The way deaf people knew was ringing was by a flashing light that was connected to the TTY and it alerted the deaf person. Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century hearing aids became available to the deaf people. Progressively smaller and lighter weight hearing aids were developed. Hearing aids in the early 1950s required large and heavy batteries, they also came with instructions on how to discretely tuck batteries into underclothing. As the years went by versions were made that you could store in a pocket or clip to a belt and eventually to what people use now which is behind the ear. One

invention that is controversial in the deaf community is the cochlear implant.
It has both a strong positive support and a strong negative support. The cochlear implant was invented to help deaf people who became deaf later in life, but their use for deaf children became controversial. Some reasons why deaf people have a negative view on the cochlear implant are because of the following: one are the effectiveness and risks of the implant. Now although it has a 90 to 95percebt of hearing and language improvement the ricks are very dangerous. Inserting a cochlear implant destroys any residual hearing in the operated ear. Although the standard surgical risks of a cochlear implant are all quite rare. They include: bleeding, infection, device malfunction, facial nerve weakness, ringing in the ear, dizziness, and poor hearing result. One long term risk of a cochlear implant is meningitis which is an infection of the fluid around the brain. People don’t like cochlear implants because there is the conflict between those who view deafness as a physical impairment and those whose it as a valued part of cultural identity. So the deaf community worries that if people get the cochlear implant they will lose touch with their deaf culture. They feel as though they will want to be hearing so they will try so hard to be hearing and live like a hearing person not paying attention to their true deaf side. They also worry that since deaf people want to be hearing so much, hearing people won’t
respect them and their culture since people want to change.

In todays society I still think that we need to improve our ways for deaf people to communicate with hearing people. For example I think hospitals still have a lot of improvement to do because deaf people have to wait for an interpreter to come down from somewhere, appose to other languages where they call an interpreter and in about five minutes you can communicate the other person. As for deaf people they need to wait and usually for a very long time for

someone to come down and interpret for them. Overall I think that although communication for deaf people has improved we still have more improving to do.