Money Speaks English and Other Thoughts on the Hearing Loss World

Editor: Here's another great post from Randy Collins. I had a hard time coming up with a title, because he makes interesting points about so many diverse topics. He initially comments on a new phenomenon - prelingually deaf people being implanted and becoming hard of hearing. And he goes on to discuss . . . . - well you'll just have to read the article ;~)

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Here's what I am seeing. We are now encountering people who were pre-lingually deaf who are now implanted and being hoh. In the past it has always been that hoh people if their condition changed at all would become deaf. Now the trend is going in the opposite direction. As professionals we aren't prepared for it. There's no training for it. I know what to do for people who were hearing or hard of hearing who become hard of hearing or deaf, but deaf to hard of hearing is something altogether different.

Let's face it money speaks English. If you want money and power, at some point you are going to have to learn English. Is that fair and just? No, but it is the way it is. The better our receptive skills the better our chances of grabbing the brass ring. We know we are underemployed and we know why; so do deaf people. CIs are here to stay and they've made a world of difference for many people BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE.

As to Deaf culture here's what I see; it will continue to exist and like all cultures it will adapt itself to the mainstream. I know a bazillion people who are Hispanic and speak Spanish. At work most upwardly mobile Hispanics speak English. (Money speaks English.) At home and among friends they speak Spanish; they prefer it; it's their native language.

Over the years living out of the South I have learned that discrimination still exists toward people with a Southern accent. People expect us to be a little slower, somewhat stupid and backward. Hell, if a movie scene takes place in wilds of northern Canada the local hicks in the movie will have a fake Southern accent! There's nothing I can do about that but over time my accent has become less noticeable. But when I am back down South from Texas to North Carolina my accent comes back. It IS the way that I identify with my culture. Language is a key component of culture.

I predict that in the future Deaf people who have CIs will wear them at work because the CI will enable them to be more accessible to the mainstream - English - and ultimately better paying jobs. When the Deaf person returns home the implant will come off and the Deaf person will become a member of the Deaf community again. The situation will be no different than that of my Hispanic friends.

Regarding CIs and children, I can tell you that no one knows what works best for any child. When parents ask me what mode of communication is best for their child I tell them I don't know. I also tell them not to listen to professionals who say they know what mode is best. That's baloney.

I don't live in that child's family. I don't know how hard the parents will work to learn ASL. I know statistically most parents won't learn it. And of the parents that do most fathers will never learn more than a few command signs. But I do know parents who sign very well.

On the other hand raising a child with oral communication is my personal definition of frustration. I cannot imagine anything more frustrating for parent or child. But it works if the parents stay with it and I know many who have. Again it depends on the amount of support available to the child.

Implanted children have their own unique needs and again it takes work and commitment from the parents. Often parents are stunned by the amount of work required AFTER the child is implanted. It is no day at the beach. I have seen a number of implanted kids who didn't receive the proper support at home and have given up the CI altogether.