What are the cons of a cochlear implant?

Cochlear implant?

• I was raised Oral and learned American Sign Language all my life after I was diagnosed with hearing loss and became profoundly deaf. What is hardest thing for me is that I have to be a neutral or a bridge for two different deaf worlds. One that use ASL and other use oralism. I have several deaf friends who are Oral and alot of deaf friends who are ASL. Cochlear implant changed my life literally. It allowed me to have better of two worlds; deaf and hearing. It also allowed me to have better of two cultures; Oralism and ASL. Cochlear implant is not a cure. It is just a voluntary treatment. It is not extermination for deaf people, who use ASL. I'm just a nice person. There is no reason why few deaf people should scoff or being rude at me if I have cochlear implant. Its their losses if they need an interpreter / a help. so the question is "What is so controversial about cochlear implant?"

• Answer:

  Language and culture are inextricably interconnected. With Cochlear implants a lot of parents are told that they should never allow their children to use gestures or learn sign language because they will be a crutch (personally I think the idea is a load of bull...a language is a language and children raised bilingually learn both proficiently so why should ASL and English be any different?). Deaf people get upset about this because this view denies the child his or her natural language and therefore his or her natural cultural niche. There is a PBS documentary that goes into the debate. It is fairly good, and apparently it has recently been updated. It is titled "Sound and Fury." For more information go here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury/ Basically I think it comes down to deaf people feel their culture, language and way of life are threatened.