Cochlear Implants Misconceptions

In society, there has long been debate and prejudice surrounding what is referred to as “deafness.” For many hearing individuals, deafness is considered a disability that must be treated or cured, leading to a form of oppression experienced by Deaf Individuals. They are often forced to wear hearing aids, undergo cochlear implants, and attend speech therapy under the belief that these practices will cure their deafness. In today's newsletter, we aim to address the misconception that cochlear implants serve as a cure for deafness and highlight why this belief is misguided. Let’s begin by clarifying what a cochlear implant entails: A cochlear implant is an electronic device surgically implanted into individuals who are profoundly deaf or hard …show more content…
In the remainder of this newsletter, we will briefly discuss some of the negative impacts of Deaf individuals navigating the hearing world as they are oppressed by these misconceptions. Due to the misconception that cochlear implants grant Deaf individuals the ability to hear, many hearing parents opt for the option to teach their children American Sign Language, believing that their children can communicate effectively through oral communication and the aid of the cochlear implants. However, as we’ve discussed, this belief has drastic consequences on Deaf individuals, including language deprivation and poor academic performance in hearing schools. An evoking example of the persecution of these misconceptions can be seen in the story of Charlie Serrano, a character in the novel “True Biz.” Charlie was born Deaf into a hearing family, as 95% of Deaf individuals are (Mitchell and Kachmer, 2004). In the novel, the author reveals how Charlie was forced to wear a cochlear implant and communicate orally. This led to a language depreciation, as he was not exposed to a language until her teenage years when she was introduced to American Sign Language. Due to the limitations of cochlear implants as a reliable form of communication for profoundly Deaf individuals, Charlie often found herself missing information and being academically behind in comparison to her peers (Novic, 2022). Similar challenges in Charlie's experience are highlighted in the documentary “Deaf Out Loud.” where a deaf child struggles to understand the classroom subjects due to the difficulties in simultaneously listening to the teacher, watching the interpreter's sign, and following what the teacher is writing on the board. For Deaf individuals in this kind of environment, communication, and information are excessively challenging to acquire, as the system is not socially and structurally designed to meet

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