I was talking with friends the other day, and the subject came up about what the future would hold in regards to hearing loss issues. Things are in such flux right now. The scientific and medical communities are working together to find the causes and cures for deafness. Gene mapping is beginning to find out the "why" of many genetic forms of deafness. Stem cell research is getting closer to an actual cure for one form of deafness, by regenerating cochlear hair cells. The cochlear implant companies are furiously working to build a fully implantable cochlear implant that would not need to have a processor worn on the ear, that would not need to be turned on or off.
But with all the research and progress being made, much is being ignored. ASL is still the surest way to provide language to those without hearing. And it is still the only safety net for kids who don't make progress with implants, hearing aids, or verbal therapies. I can't help but think that any true cure is still many years away. And because deafness has so many causes, there will need to be many different cures before all of the causes are addressed. Also, any cure that becomes available, probably will not be of much benefit to adults. Even if the cause of the deafness can be corrected, the brain may not be able to make sense of the sound. Most adults who depend on ASL today will need it for the rest of their lives. And many kids today still rely on ASL for all their communication needs. It seems very shortsighted to close schools that provide ASL to these kids who need it so much. Even though there are more kids able to have access to verbal language now, we still need to provide access to ASL. Interpreters will still be needed and a vibrant Deaf Community will also still be needed.
It is very important that the oral deaf and the ASL Deaf continue to find common ground so they can work together. Without the support of everyone, kids may be denied the services they need, simply because those services are no longer available. I wish I had a crystal ball so I could see what the future will bring.
K.L.
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Trying to see into the future requires hindsight: consider the hearing aid. When it came on the market in progressively more advanced and gee-whiz electronic models, it was heralded by renewed hype and a few more deaf people got a little more benefit.
But eventually reality sets in, deaf people still use sign language, and many aids are stashed in drawers. There is indication this is happening with implants, too.
The reality is this: nothing can duplicate normal hearing with all its sensitivity to nuances, undercurrents, environmental noises and other information besides verbal communication. (Such nonverbal information may be larger than the verbal.)
For these people, aids and implants can only serve as a subsidiary, not the main avenue of input. Vision is still the most meaningful, so must not be restricted or pushed aside in favor of any other.
"It is very important that the oral deaf and the ASL Deaf continue to find common ground so they can work together. Without the support of everyone, kids may be denied the services they need, simply because those services are no longer available." That says it all! I couldn't agree more.
"It is very important that the oral deaf and the ASL Deaf continue to find common ground so they can work together. Without the support of everyone, kids may be denied the services they need, simply because those services are no longer available."
If oral deaf don't know ASL, then how can they work with ASL and find a common ground? If oral deaf know ASL, then doesn't that make them ASL deaf?
There are a lot of oral deaf who know ASL, but don't identify it as their primary language.
But the bigger picture is that the Deaf Community needs to be more than just the ASL Deaf. There are issues common to both groups, and we need to have both groups supporting each other, and both groups working together, regardless of their primary language.
Dianrez is right that a lot of deaf people including myself gave up hearing aids after using them while growing up. However, it s probably different with CI because it gives most deaf children full access to spoken language unlike hearing aids. If CI is very beneficial to them, they may be likely to use them for the rest of their lives.
Over 95% of deaf children have hearing parents. Does that mean most of profoundly deaf children would be likely to receive CI and wouldn't need to learn ASL when they become proficient in spoken language? If they do, then the Deaf community with ASL may downsize in the future because most children with CI would be mainstreamed at their local school.
When I was a child, most of deaf children at my public school used sign language like I did but today most of deaf young children are speaking and don't use sign language at public school.
What would happpen to ASL in the future? I am hoping that the Deaf community will still exist but may change with new technology. They need to accept the new trend and welcome oral deaf people, too.
I may be naive, but I really think that accepting oral deaf into the Deaf Community will be the thing that may be the best option for a strong future.
Also, I think that if kids who have implants are not turned off to the Deaf Community, as they get older, they will be open to learning ASL.
That is why I try so hard to get implants to be accepted, and to get more tolerance for them.
So touchy matter on deafness that I have no words now to say, still I can say there is a lot much that future has in its lap,,just keep on your work and findings.
"I may be naive, but I really think that accepting oral deaf into the Deaf Community will be the thing that may be the best option for a strong future."
I agree. We need to work together and learn from each other. There is so much we can teach each other.
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The future can be scary to think that science has the potential eradicate your whole subculture. Good bye deaf & hh, goodbye little people, good bye gays and lesbians.
I like what you say about working together and how future technological advancement often distract us from what's right in front of us, namely the existing and continued value of ASL.
However, I wonder about the use of the word "need" when discussing ASL. ASL is a language and is valuable in its own right. We, hearing and deaf alike, use ASL because it is a naturally evolving language currently available to us, not because we need it. Perhaps it is language in general that human beings need, and ASL is among the possibilities.
The possibility of genetic adjustments makes me nervous. It seems highly problematic. Who gets to determine which genes are valuable? Could you choose deafness? How do we determine the best way for a human being to be? That seems like a very slippery slope.
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