ASL Vlogs about Cochlear Implants

ASL-CI Community would like to thank Raychelle for donating these v/blogs she produced and published on her blogsite to help with spreading awareness about ASL and Cochlear Implants. Enjoy.

First Vlog: I Got The Surgery

In this ASL vlog, I talk about my surgery and how I believe it is analogous to cochlear implant surgeries. Would you change your opinion of a Deaf person you've known all your life, went to school with, who received a cochlear implant? Why? They're still the same person.

Cochlear implant surgeries, in my opinion, are similar to someone getting laser eye surgery. Both surgeries assist the person in seeing/hearing. Both surgeries have possible risks and complications.

Cochlear implant technology has improved drastically in the past ten years. Many of the things we know about CI's are outdated. In the following vlogs, to be posted soon, I will share more current information about cochlear implants.

Did you know that Cochlear Implant Education Center (CIEC) at Clerc Center of Gallaudet University was established in the year of 2000? Since that time they have been working with professionals and families both Deaf and Hearing to investigate how ASL and Cochlear Implants can work together. This vlog kicks off a series of vlogs of myself exploring the nature of CI’s and their presence in the Deaf community.

Disclaimer: I am not a certified medical professional, however, I have friends who have had the surgery, I have read research-based articles and chapters on this issue and I have had the information shared in this and the following vlogs/blogs confirmed by professionals at the Cochlear Implant Education Center at Gallaudet University/Clerc Center. Much gratitude goes to them for their willingness to help with editing and correcting information in this and subsequent blogs/vlogs on this topic.

Click here to go to the very informative Gallaudet University at Clerc Center, Cochlear Implant Education Center site.

This English print blog is not a word-for word translation of the ASL vlog above.

2nd Vlog: Myths About CI Surgeries

How long is the surgery itself? Actual surgery time can range from 1 ½ hours- 6 hours depending on the individual. The surgery is usually outpatient and after about a 2 hour recovery period the individual can go home.

What does the scar look like? The scars of the past do not apply to today's surgeries. The scars are very minimal, and for young infants, the scar is almost undetectable. Right after the surgery, there may be a little bleeding. The cotton/mesh wrap stays around the head for approximately 24 hours, then it may be removed. You will see small surgical tape covering the incisions and some dried blood in the area. Your head is not shaved bald but a small section just above the ear. There are no stitches or staples.

Does CI surgery destroy residual hearing?In more and more situations residual hearing can be preserved because the surgical techniques to insert the electrodes into the cochlea are improving. While the doctors can not guarantee that residual hearing won’t be destroyed, audiology tests done before and after the cochlear implant in many cases are showing that residual hearing does not necessarily change. (I fingerspelled 'auditory stem', what I should have fingerspelled was 'auditory nerve')

How long does it take to recover? CI surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis. There are some hospitals that might keep individuals overnight. By the second day, most children are usually back to themselves. Some adults report being tired and sometimes dizzy for a few days.

Each body heals in different ways at different points in your life. Of course, for infants/children, they heal much faster as opposed to adults, and this applies to any type of surgery. Most adults who have had the surgery report minimal pain or discomfort. Judging by watching the children after surgery, they don’t seem to be experiencing discomfort. There may be some adverse reactions to the anesthesia (which can be true for any type of surgery)

There is swelling around the site of the surgery. It usually takes about 3-4 weeks for the swelling to go away and the site to heal completely. That is why it is important to wait for that long before the outside part of the cochlear implant is added. That is called the “activation”.

Is there a difference in recovery time between infants vs. adults? Your body heals in different ways at different points in your life. Of course, for infants/children, they heal much faster as opposed to adults or older adults, and this applies to any type of surgery. Many factors affect recovery time - exercise, diet, amount of sleep and so on. Infants and children take a few hours to a couple of days to be their old self, while it is about a week for adults.

What about surgery complications? As with ANY surgery, there are always risks and complications. This may prolong the recovery time. It is the responsibility of the patient/parent to investigate the reputation of the hospital/surgeon before making the decision.

Let me share my surgicial experience: I had the same knee surgery which was performed in 2006 on my left leg and then in 2007 on my right leg. Both were done by the same surgeon for the same purpose. Both surgical experiences, recovery, therapy and end result were VERY different.

Click here to go to Gallaudet University's website about CI surgery information...

This English print blog is not an exact translation of the ASL vlog above.

p.s. the photograph in the vlog of the CI coil is from http://www.ee.duke.edu/research/collins/ci.html

Third Vlog: Getting a CI – The Earlier, The Better

The earlier, the better saying could not be more true here. Brains are like sponges the first few years of a child’s life. After that, it has been shown that the plasticity/ flexibility of brain starts to decrease. The longer a young child does not have access to quality sound, the more difficult it becomes to make sense of the many sounds provided by a cochlear implant. So telling a parent to wait until the child grows up to make the decision if s/he wants a CI is not a valid recommendation.

Research shows that if the auditory areas of the brain are not stimulated at a young age, then the window of opportunity to develop spoken language will be significantly decreased. Research does not give an exact age, however research and observation are suggesting that children implanted before age 2 are more readily developing spoken language than children implanted after that age.

Going back to the saying of earlier is better. The same holds true for American Sign Language. Research is showing that the brain has the capacity to learn both a visual and an auditory language at the same time. And when children are young they can learn several languages effortlessly. It’s so easy for them!

For us adults, we struggle to pass HS classes in foreign languages and college classes in French, Spanish, and so on. Then at the end of the semester we can only remember a few Spanish words. Why is that?

Two reasons: 1) when we get older, we can only “learn” (not acquire) additional languages – which means we have to be taught, it’s harder to learn languages naturally like children. 2) our brains harden as we get older, so teaching our brains new things are harder than it is for children.

So this principle makes sense, we want to expose our infants/children to as many languages as possible – ASL and spoken/print English for the case of American deaf children. It doesn’t have to be an either/or choice of ASL or a cochlear implant. You can't lose if you're bilingual from birth. You win, and you win the best of both worlds - the Deaf world and the Hearing world.

Click here to go to the conference proceedings of Cochlear Implants and Sign Language: Putting It All Together in 2002.

Also, click here to go to Gallaudet University's CI site about who's a good and who's not a good CI candidate

The English print blog here is not an exact translation of the ASL vlog above.

4th Vlog: People With CI’s Can’t Drive Hybrids and Play Football?

Remember this vlog applies to the new and most recent CI’s.

Drive a hybrid? Yes.

Ride roller coasters? Yes

Scuba dive? There is a depth limit. If a person with a cochlear implant goes beyond the specified depth the internal implant (plastic casing) holding the magnet will break. Ihe internal implant is validated to withstand pressure at a depth of 82 feet underwater.

Go into MRI machines? The problem is that the internal part of the cochlear implant has a magnet in it and an MRI means Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Having two technologies that contain magnets are not compatible. The test will not be effective. The person will not be harmed. Some of the newer cochlear implants are compatible with MRI equipment that does not have a strong magnetic strength. But… sometimes a weak MRI is not enough. So… with a cochlear implant, some people do have to have the magnet removed surgically—the implant is designed to have that done, then have the MRI and have the magnet put back in again. (that can happen all at the same time)

Play football/physical sports? Yes, of course the processor may fall off (just like eyeglasses) and may need to be left aside to continue playing. As with anyone who wants to protect themself during a rough sport—wear a helmet—if a person is hit in the head it can possibly dislodge the internal part of the CI, but this will not harm the person.

Airport metal detectors? Walking through will not harm the internal part of the cochlear implant or hurt the individual. Just to be on the safe side, remove the external speech processor and ask the airport personnel to not place it through the x-ray screener.

Water sports? Most CI’s are now water resistant. It does not mean that they are water proof . So getting them wet with a small amount of water is ok. It is not recommended to shower with the external part of the cochlear implant or swim, but if they get wet in the rain or have excessive sweating it should not be a problem. CI’s still can’t be submerged, so when swimming, surfing, bathing the CI user is Deaf.

Become an astronaut? No idea, we’re still waiting for the first Deaf astronaut!

New Technology… many new things are being invented today that includes a magnetic field so we have no idea how the CI will fare in different situations. Technology progresses really fast, there are plans for a completely internal CI, but that does not yet seem to be in the near future.

The same applies to my knees. I was worried, because I had screws in my knees that I might not be able to go into a MRI – but no, found out that my screws were made of a plastic compound. New things are invented everyday and it’s our job to check ourselves/people about whether if it is safe for us.

For more information, click here to go to Gallaudet University's Cochlear Implant site to read about CI's and the environment.

This blog is not a strict translation of the ASL vlog above.

5th Vlog: CI Users are Still Deaf

CI's are unusual – you remove them, you are Deaf. This is not comparable with hard of hearing people who are always hard of hearing, 24/7. They cannot stop being hard of hearing. CI’s are similar to people who wear hearing aids and glasses, when they take them off they hear less/see less.

Cochlear implant break and get lost. When a person does not have their cochlear implant on they can not hear. That person is DEAF again. That is why it is important for CI users to have a visual language, to have ASL. Research has shown that two languages are better than one for cognitive and linguistic development. That is why we should always encourage parents to expose the child to two languages – ASL and Spoken/Print English. Because when their CI breaks, when they lose their CI, or during swimming lessons, they will need some language to fall back on – that’s where ASL enters the picture.

Research is beginning to show that an infant learning ASL/sign language along with CI/spoken English pick up spoken English at a more rapid pace than those infants who are not taught sign language.

What about bilateral implants? Are they necessary? Yes. Imagine being hearing in just one ear, but not the other ear. Bilateral implants are like surround sound – with two implants you can finally hear everything around you, not mostly on one side. But each person is different and should be evaluated to make sure that two cochlear implants are needed. There are many questions now about getting two implants—will insurance pay for two?, should they be done at the same time? Should one be done first and then one later?

But again, people with CI are still DEAF. Again, it doesn’t have to be a choice between a CI or ASL, both can work together beautifully.

Click here to go to the conference proceedings of Cochlear Implants and Sign Language: Putting It All Together in 2002.

For a comprehensive discussion about the merits of ASL-based education for children with CI's click here to go to Gallaudet University's sign language & the cochlear implant site.

For copies of the research showing ASL + CI advances language development, contact:
Christie.yoshi@colorado.edu or Lise.Mee@colorado.edu.

Citation:

Yoshingaga-Itano, Christine, Menn, Lise. A Lexical Sign Language Bootstrap to Spoken English. University of Colorado, Boulder.

6th Vlog: Who is Our Enemy?

Who are our enemies? The CI companies? The doctors? The parents?

No, our biggest enemy is ignorance. We must educate everyone – I mean everyone – on the merits, benefits and successes of implanted bimodal (visual/auditory) bilingual (ASL/English) Deaf children. (In the vlog, I did not distinguish between the visual and auditory modes very well - reading and writing should be under the visual mode, along with ASL)

This means changing our attitudes when we see an implanted child. Remember, the child has no idea the political ramifications of getting a cochlear implant. The parents are also innocent and only want the best for their child. They have no idea what’s going on in the Deaf community about cochlear implants, and if they do have a slight idea, they’re under extreme pressure to decide what’s the best for the family. Time is running out. They have to hurry and decide...and the concept of a CI versus a bad experience with an angry deaf community member makes it very easy for them to decide to go with a CI, and possibly deny their child ASL as well.

And for us to make faces at them, talk behind their backs, exclude/refuse to talk to them only makes matters worse. Children and people with CI are still human and deaf, just like us.

We must make our deaf schools and programs CI friendly and embrace CI toddlers and children as our own or we will be advancing our very own cultural and linguistic genocide because almost every child born to hearing parents will be implanted. And the 5% of deaf children with deaf parents are not enough to sustain the Deaf community and language. We need to embrace the other 95% and to welcome them in our culture and language with no reservations. This means a long, hard look at our old prejudices and assumptions and updating them with new information and knowledge.

We need to look at the next generation of Deaf children. They will still be Deaf, however, some of these children will use a technology called a cochlear implant. So we will have a generation of children who are still deaf, they just happen to have the opportunity to have access to sound in a different way than other generations of deaf people. It is just that… a technology. And as we know no technology is perfect.

Most importantly, we don’t want to go back to the “oral failure” model—which means sending the deaf, implanted students to an oral program. And when/if they fail, then they are too old to learn language, and send them to learn “sign” at the deaf school after they are already delayed in language development. Use of a CI alone does not guarantee “oral success”. The best scenario is this: CI and ASL. This should be our main message for everyone out there.

Click here to read National Association for the Deaf (NAD)'s position paper on Cochlear Implants and the Deaf community, which discusses the importance of looking at the whole child.

Click here to watch a vlog by Dr. Laurene Simms, Dennis Berrigan and Francisca Rangel about the Deaf Community and Cochlear Implants

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not a word-for word translation of the ASL vlog above.