What is a cochlear implant? According to NIDCD (the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) it is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. I want to highlight it provides a SENSE OF SOUND it does not magically make you hearing. The sounds the cochlear implant pick up, you have to interpret into words. AKA it is NOT a “fix” as I’ve begun to learn that the hearing population wants or thinks it is.
But lets delve into a simpler explanation. The hair cells in the inner ear are damaged meaning they can no longer detect sound like a normal, hearing person. A d/Deaf or severely Hard-Of-Hearing person has to undergo surgery to remove their natural cochlear, which no longer works, and replace it with an electronic one. Basically, the device will bypasses the damaged cells and send electric signals to the brain where they will then need to be interpreted.
An even simpler explanation, you have to learn to “hear” again.
In order for it to work, you need a processor. I will explain the one that I have first. Note I only have experience with MedEL, so that is what I will be talking about. It is a magnetic device that fits behind the ear and captures sound signals and sends them to the receiver, which is implanted under the skin behind the ear. Mine is called a Sonnet 2, pictured below.
The other type of processor is called Rondo 3. It does not have a hook to hold it in place around the ear. It just attaches right to the implant beneath the skin and is barely visible beneath the hair. I admit that one is better for people who wear glasses as I do, but when I was picking mine, it made me nervous because I’m so active. The Rondo 3 is pictured below.
Just a side tidbit, neither processor is water proof. Therefore, you cannot wear it when you take a shower. You cannot wear it when you go swimming. You cannot wear it in the hot tub. You cannot wear it if you want to jump in a lake. And yes, there is the waterproof cover you can wear to go swimming with it, but what if you are rocked by a wave? What if you get dunked by someone? Or a jet blows it off? Essentially, the waterproof cover would only be meant for a pool. And even then, I do twists and flips and I wrestle in the pool or I speed swim during games like Marco Polo or Sharks and Minos. The implant would be lost for sure with me so the waterproof cover is useless in my case. It also goes to show, how NOT hearing it is as people don’t have to worry about their ears falling off or getting wet in the ocean, lakes, pools, or hot tubs.
Now that you know the logistics behind it, I want to talk about if the cochlear implant is worth it for the d/Deaf or severely Hard-Of-Hearing. My answer. It depends 🤷♀️
Well what could it possible depend on, they (me) would get to “hear” again?
Who wouldn’t want that?
You can’t possible survive in this world if you can’t hear!
…don’t be that person. And yes, those people exist and I have met them. I actually quit my job because of one such person. But that’s for later blogs.
First off, many d/Deaf consider themselves with the capital D in Deaf. Almost their entire family is Deaf. It is their culture, their community, their language, their life. It is important to note that those Deafies were born Deaf and sign language is their first and main language. But even then, if you progressively lose your hearing or become d/Deaf later in life for whatever reason, you may find yourself at home with the d/Deaf community. Enough that the capital D resonates with you.
For them, they are constantly surrounded by a community who signs with them. The cochlear implant is less necessary. That’s not saying that all Deaf don’t have one, but it can seem more like an insult to their community than a tool to help interact with the hearing.
I know Loni Friedmann (check her out! She is a huge advocate for the deaf/blind! I’ll link her information below!) who is very much Deaf, used a cochlear implant to listen to music.
*NOTE this stigma against cochlear implants changing but very slowly
Then there are the deaf with a lowercase d. As I grew to understand from other d/Deaf people, the lowercase d refers to someone who is d/Deaf but may not know sign language or be involved with the Deaf community.
For the deaf, the cochlear implant is much more prominent. They may have been implanted at a young age, learned to read lips to get by, and put in mainstream school. Grew up Oral is what they say. Their entire family, friends, jobs, and world is hearing. So the cochlear implant is a very useful tool for them.
*NOTE if you have the cochlear implant, you most likely can read lips better than you realize
However, in technical terms, the word deaf is used to describe anyone who does not hear very much. Sometimes it is used to refer to people who are severely hard of hearing.
I know of someone who is severely hard of hearing and she switches between the terms HOH (Hard Of Hearing) and d/Deaf based on her environment. Her name is Elisa Richards. She’s one of my favorites to follow and I’ve actually bought some of her merchandise. I’ll link her below as well.
Essentially, Deaf refers to someone whose second language is English.
As for the cochlear implant. I know a lot of d/Deaf people who absolutely love it. I also know a lot who refuse to consider it as an option. And then I know those who only wear it some of the time. I’m one of those. And by sometime, I mean only for doctor appointments, Libby and my niece Riley 🤷♀️
Emilee Segura considers herself Deaf with a cochlear implant. As with the other two, I’ll link her information below.
She was born d/Deaf to a hearing family and was implanted at a young age. Three, I believe. She is fluent in ASL and works with d/Deaf and HOH children.
Emilee has an ear mold with her cochlear implant. She said it was because she played a lot of sports and the ear mold held the cochlear implant in place. That is true…for the sports she did. For me; however, the main sport I do now is a combat sport. If I were to wear any type of cochlear implant, the processor would not survive no matter what held it in place. I’m talking about surviving elbows to the head, being slammed to the ground, wrestling while using your head to shove someone off balance. Those are my sports.
I am also VERY active. I’m talking running, weight lifting, horse back riding. In fact, horses are what broke the magnet in my head…I was told that wasn’t possible. I believe the exact words I used when the doctors told me that were, “watch me.”
Three years down the road, I accomplished the impossible. Actually, my accomplishment is a straight up miracle. I was dragged the length of a room the the forest when I feel off riding. My leg was caught in the stirrup. I should have died. My boss who was on another horse thought I had. An ear mold would not have saved it.
Now that I think about it, my lifestyle is very violent. That is a better word than active. And that is also why I my answer to “Is the cochlear implant worth it?”, it depends.
I was actually told to change. That shocked me into silence. Why? Why would I choose a very diminished way of hearing from a life I love? Why would a doctor and my parents say that to me? I am someone who legitimately loves their life. There is no way I could have spent the rest of it as someone else.
And I say diminished way of hearing because I was told, if you work on it, you’ll hear again. The cochlear implant is 100% not hearing. I grew up hearing. With it, I struggle understanding people with accents, in crowded spaces, with music, with everything in life.
This is my truth.
I understand how the cochlear implant would be “hearing” from someone who has never heard before. I understand wanting to have an easier way to get by in this world. That is totally fine by me.
However; telling someone to change their life because you think they “need” to hear in order to succeed, is wrong. I believe that had a huge impact on me wanting to use it a lot. I’m not going to struggle for people who won’t even learn a few signs for me.
Anyway, that is my opinion on the cochlear implant. You can agree or disagree, it doesn’t bother me. I just wanted to spread my reasoning for whether people should get it or not. It depends on your life and if you love your life, DO NOT change so you can “hear”. 🤟
Loni’s IG : loni.friedmann
Elisa’s IG : elisa.richards
Emilee’s IG : emilee_segura
Comentários