8 Month Old Deaf Baby's Reaction To Cochlear Implant Being Activated

Not sure if this goes in Society or Current Affairs. A year old so not entirely current but a beautiful thing to witness, hearing his mother's voice for the first time:

And I've been doing some browsing on Cochlear Implants and it seems a lot of the Deaf community is against it:

Cochlear implants are indicated as the major contributor to the decline of sign language and deaf activists have organized protest, against the procedure as they labeled it cultural genocide.

Would you really deny your child (in the case he or she was born deaf) a cochlear implant? :erm:

Any chance of this being extended to adults? Apparently it only works on babies because of the early stage of development.

That video is impossible not to smile at. :love:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

DontPropositionMe

Why are babies so damn adorable?! :angry:

Reply 2

danny111

Original post by DontPropositionMe

Why are babies so damn adorable?! :angry:

So that we protect them and take care of them. Else they would die and biologically we become extinct?

Reply 3

screenager2004

Original post by Ape Gone Insane

And I've been doing some browsing on Cochlear Implants and it seems a lot of the Deaf community is against it:

Cochlear implants are indicated as the major contributor to the decline of sign language and deaf activists have organized protest, against the procedure as they labeled it cultural genocide

It's a cute video! I'm not really sure where I stand on 'deaf culture'. There was a case in my Medical Sociology course of parents who had genetic screening and IVF treatment to ensure their baby was born deaf like they were.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3087367.ece
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1584948/Couples-could-win-right-to-select-deaf-baby.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7287508.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1916462.stm

Reply 4

tufc

I've heard this whole thing from the deaf community before about it destroying their culture, and to me it just seems they're a load of people who are just butthurt due to the fact they're adults, so can't have it. Being deaf is not something to be proud of. It's something to be accepted. One should never attack someone fot being deaf, but surely, if we have the means, we should help kids born with conditions that have an impact on their quality of life.

I was born with a condition that, if left untreated, would have resulted in me being very short (most likely about 5'1 or so). It has been treated, and I have grown to well above 6 foot. No one complains about people like me 'destroying short culture' or resulting in door frames being built higher and higher or something.

Reply 5

tufc

Original post by screenager2004

That's an absolute disgrace. Sickening.

Reply 6

Xhotas

Is deafness a culture we should be trying to maintain a status quo? :unsure:

If the number of deaf babies fall should we slash 1 in 400 babies ears to keep a balance?

I fail to see any possible disadvantages to allowing a baby the gift of hearing other than trouble communicating with parents who are also deaf. It's not "wrong" to want a human being to be able to have access to all 5 senses? Surely it should be a human right to be given treatment that will allow them to experience them all if the treatment is available - without the interferance of parents :unsure:

Cutieee.

So cute.

Original post by danny111

So that we protect them and take care of them. Else they would die and biologically we become extinct?

Never thought of it that way! But wait I've seen a fair amount of ugly babies in my time though :lol:

Reply 10

im so academic

Boring video, meh, at least he can hear now and hopefully contribute to the economy as a taxpayer.

Nothing special.

Reply 11

username350927

Awesome video really feels good watching it

Reply 12

Blazara

Original post by im so academic

Boring video, meh, at least he can hear now and hopefully contribute to the economy as a taxpayer.

Nothing special.

Okay, I'm pretty convinced that you act like an ignorant bigot just for a reaction. Please go attention seek elsewhere.

Reply 13

mogambo

I personally find it very cute. If I was a parent and my child was discovered to be deaf, I'd definitely try to have the Cochlear Implant for him/her. Why deny them the right to hear if there's help out there? I can't understand why anyone would be against it. Deaf or not.

Reply 14

username350927

Original post by im so academic

Boring video, meh, at least he can hear now and hopefully contribute to the economy as a taxpayer.

Nothing special.

Harsh Imso

Reply 15

TheSownRose

Original post by im so academic

Boring video, meh, at least he can hear now and hopefully contribute to the economy as a taxpayer.

Nothing special.

That's very cold. :s-smilie:

You do realise people with hearing impairments can contribute to society, yes?

Reply 16

Hylean

Original post by Xhotas

Is deafness a culture we should be trying to maintain a status quo? :unsure:

You assume that hearing is considered to be a gift by deaf people.

Original post by tufc

That's an absolute disgrace. Sickening.

Why?

Original post by TheSownRose

That's very cold. :s-smilie:

You do realise people with hearing impairments can contribute to society, yes?

ISA is a bit of an idiot at times in her innocence and lack of experience.

Reply 17

Xhotas

Original post by Hylean

You assume that hearing is considered to be a gift by deaf people.

To a baby, it would be a gift. To be able to grow up without a disability, I would consider that a very good gift. It is incredibly selfish of someone to take away a child's ability to hear just so they can fit into a good "family life" of which they will not spend the majority of their lives around. It is a disability, is it really wrong to want to see an end to it?

Sure, adults who were raised deaf will of course disagree in some respects, they might not want the ability to hear. But to make such a life changing choice for a child? I consider it insanely unethical for an adult to choose a child that has a disability, especially saying it "goes against" the stereotype of the Designer Baby when in actuality all they are doing is creating their own Designer Baby. It's selfish and wrong, if a solution is available it should be given. If as an adult they want to be deaf, there are ways to make it happen. But it doesn't work the other way round (yet anyway.)

Reply 18

tufc

Original post by Hylean

Why?

You want to give people the right to deliberately create disabled kids? A child is bound by that decision FOR LIFE, but a child should not be bound by their parents for life. No reasonable person would want to deliberately create a deaf child just to increase family cohesion...