The article, "Science Gave My Son the Gift of Sounds" by Linda Denworth explores the view that many hearing parents of deaf children have. She recounts her journey from finding out that Alex, her youngest of three sons, was deaf to giving him the 'joy of hearing' with a cochlear implant.
She also explores the history of coclear implants and the different laws passed around the time that they were available to the public. She gives the response of these laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, by both hearing and non-hearing individuals.
She also explains the change in the thoughts of the deaf community on the view of cochlear implants. She mentions that Gallaudet University, a private university for the deaf, experienced a shift in the number of students with cochlear implants.
Although her son has the cochlear implant, she acknowledges that he is still deaf. She further expresses her regret in not keeping up with her son's learning. As of right now, he does not know ASL but she believes that in the future he may want to know about his deaf culture and ASL, and plans to allow him to learn it,
There is a recurring theme among the views of the hearing and deaf community on assistive devices for the deaf. Also, it is seen that individuals who get implanted especially at a young age are less likely to get learn ASL than one who get implanted later or none at all. However, we must all respect each other's decisions on the matter.
Check out the full article here: https://time.com/76154/deaf-culture-cochlear-implants/
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