Deaf Teenager Against Cochlear Implant

Discussion of an Implanted Teen's Experience

"...You are not looking at pros and cons you are looking for people to back up your "SL is more beneficial."
—Lorie
"...enlighten the rest of us with your research..."
—RICKAOB
"im 14...deaf in one ear. i can still hear a little but not enough to go to a normal school...you get to chose whether you want to wear a HA. my mom wants me to...i dont like them and they try to make me talk but i think i sound stupid or retarded soo now just sign..."
—JESSIEISCOOL
GOFORIT10:"...dont wear my CI. The school are trying to force me to put it back on and start using my voice but i totally refuse becasue i have no idea if i sound normal or not...many hearing people cannot understand me well...9 oral deaf kids who supports HA and CI and use their voice...against me expect for one...I try to tell him that he is old enough to decide if he dont want to wear his HA. He don't want to but he is afraid to tell his parents that...parents support me..."
—GOFORIT10
"...In order for my paper not to be one sided, I have to find someone who is against it, or else my paper will only be on the pros of CIs..."
—ARNAE1
"...school for the Deaf...intolerant of the fact that one of her classmates decided she wanted to be implanted. Her parents carefully researched the process. The little girl was evaluated...and they went ahead with it...staff members harassed the child...few who were supportive...try contacting a non-oral school for the Deaf. It may add more merit to your paper to interview adults..."
—MAMA78013
"...wanting to remove the CI, but afraid...doctor told me that it was alot of risk because it is already connected to my cochlea, and it is possible will hurt my brain...My dad also told me that. So I was well-informed...not fully against CI...good for people who lost their hearing later...against CI for children. But I know I cannot stop it. I know that parents will still give their child a CI. So I have to be open minded..."
— GOFORIT10
"..title is "Deaf Teenager Against CI."...invites controversy...you sometimes sound like you are rebellious...No amount of disclaimers like "I don't hate my parents" or "I don't hold a grudge" can change the attitude behind your writings. ...parents or doctor may be stalling you...in hopes that when you mature a little you may change your mind...doing what seems right for you now...Maybe you should consult a couple of other doctors..."
—MAMA78013
"...did a paper on CIs. It wasn't solely on SL versus CIs but it is on why the gov't should put stricter regulations on giving CIs to children."
—FROG177
"...when I was 16, i decided to stop wearing my CI, the school and my family were totally rude...headache everyday, I am not focused at school, I cannot stand any of the sounds...very unhappy. ...friend told me to try...without my CI for a month...when i took it off, everything was so quiet, my headache disappear...feel better using my hands...more focused at school...love living in a silent world...are you saying that i am not able to decide which college i want to go...my parents said i am old enough...even an adult are still learning...school and my parents now support my decison ...
—GOFORIT10
"...CI does work for hundreds of people...to say that parents should not implant their child is not for you to say. My son...wouldn't let us take that away...does love to hear, he doesn't get headaches, he doesn't even want to take it off at night...Maybe when he is 16 he will not want to wear it...at least we gave him the opportunity to have that choice. Parents should implant early on...can't believe...that having the CI removed could cause brain damage. Your cochlea is nowhere near your brain...one of the things we looked into ...researched this for an extremely long time... Maybe there is something wrong w/yours...sorry it didn't work for you...All teens have some grudge ...I really felt yours is your CI."
—SIGNINGMOMMY
"...chosen to not implant our child simply because she seems really happy and expresses herself completely using ASL. If she ever decided later on that she wants to be implanted because she wants to fit into a hearing world better, then by all means...for now, her aids are benefiting her enough. She is an awesome speech-reader anyway..."
—MAMA78013
"...hope all...do the research...see that most CI users do NOT have headaches. Most have very little, if any, side effects...Most of those who do have minor side effects have them only temporarily. ...studies ...shown that children implanted early have excellent speech and language benefits, and do the best with an oral approach...personally doubt that this person actually received CI, given their responses...believe they are likely to be someone opposed to CI trying to spread seeds of doubt and hatred... infant son will be implanted in 3 weeks, and we have deeply researched this and met literally hundreds of successful, happy, pain-free users."
— AKWILINSKI