And the Deaf Community Shall Survive...

If all the current chatter in the deaf blogosphere is any indication, I believe we have reached a new turning point in the deaf community. Cochlear implants have gone from something that we knew little about and were strongly opposed to, to something regarded as a tool akin to a hearing aid, and more widely accepted and even chosen by culturally deaf people for themselves and their deaf children.

This is what often happens with new technology that makes people confused and afraid. Over time, awareness and understanding increases. Then, that community begins to adopt a new attitude, and find ways to incorporate that technology into their own culture. That is happening now with cochlear implants, as we witness the growth of what I call "CI humor." We already have hearing aid humor, sign language humor, interpreting humor, and videophone humor. Now we have CI humor as deaf people poke fun at cochlear implants through films like "McImplant."

If anything, deaf people with cochlear implants are acutely aware that they are deaf, just as deaf people with hearing aids are. When an implant is turned off or removed, there is total, peaceful silence. When I wore hearing aids long ago, I welcomed sign language as a way to fill in the communication gaps while I was using the hearing aids. Cochlear implant users who do not use sign language now, may later welcome sign language for the same reason, and as a way to communicate during those moments that they can not use cochlear implants.

Deaf culture has survived over the years in the face of both educational and technological changes. It not only survives, it evolves and thrives. For example, in America, deaf clubs are struggling to survive, but online, we have deaf communities that are thriving.

Like many of you, I used to be worried about the survival of the deaf community because of the growth of cochlear implants. I'm not worried anymore.