Mishka Zena

36 Responses to “Cochlear Implanted Actors on “All My Children””

1. Amy Cohen Efron Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 9:38 am

   Mishka Zena said,

   “Please don’t bash them about the possible use of cochlear implants and AVT, but encourage them to see the benefits of sign language.”

   I wholeheartedly support her suggestion that we need to *smart* in how we present ourselves that we are strong advocates for using American Sign Language for deaf babies and toddlers WITH cochlear implants along with their AVT sessions.

   I strongly believe in ADDING sign language in this process.

   The majority of people who are involved in ‘rehabilitation’ for ‘deafness’ are dead-set for not including ASL as a part of the intervention, which is bothersome to me, and to the Deaf community.

   On my blog, one commenter wrote which really touched my heart big time…

   _____________________________________________

   Lisa, the commenter said:

   My daughter has a profound loss in both ears, she was identified at 2 months. We began learning sign at 3 months.

   She received CI at 15 months. Her doctor told me, “ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNING”.

   They even went so far to tell me “I could sign, but I would have to go some where else for the surgery.”

   Unbelievable!

   I’m not proud that I was not completely honest, but I know it is my choice as a mother to decide what is best for my child.

   Kennedy is 2 now and I know we made the right decision. Her speech is beautiful as well as her signing.

   Her speech therapist say “she is a poster child for CI” -just not at her doctor’s office.
   _______________________________________________

   There is no harm of ADDING sign language in this intervention process! Adding American Sign Language is a natural way to present the visual language to a Deaf child with CI, without any barriers, and it will complement to the AVT process!

   Amy Cohen Efron

2. Mishka Zena Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 10:02 am

   How horrible!

   The doctor violated the medical ethics of AMA when coercion was used to force the parents of his patient into conforming to the doctor’s personal beliefs. This should be reported to AMA.

3. Amy Cohen Efron Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 10:13 am

   I agree with you, Mishka Zena.

   This doctor did violate the medical ethics, by using coercion on this parent of her daughter, that sign language are not allowed while receiving cochlear implant, and threatened that surgery cannot be done if this parent continues to sign!

   Most parents who discovered that their child having hearing loss, and they are at ‘mercy’ to doctors to fix their infant’s hearing loss.

   Doctors did not realize that they have powerful influence on parents, plus especially denying surgery because of ideological differences!

   Unfortunately, it is very common in the United States that the medical establishment specializing in ‘deafness’ are using manipulative tactics to influence on parents, and telling them that they have a ‘choice’ to do whatever they want with their child.

   “Choice” versus INFORMED CHOICE - big difference here.

   The Deaf Community, for many years, were silenced by the medical establishment that we are ‘not allowed’ to share what is best to raise a Deaf infant/child. We are victims of misleading information that were provided by doctors, speech language pathologists, audiologists, teachers and school administrators.

   It’s time to listen to US, and all we are asking is to ADD — yes, I repeat, ADDING American Sign Language to the intervention process!

   We are not asking to remove, subtract or eliminate any wonderful therapies, we just insist in ADDING American Sign Language!

   Hearing babies are learning American Sign Language and it comes with amazing benefits. Why not Deaf babies?

   How is wrong with that?

   Amy Cohen Efron

4. RLM Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 10:22 am

   MZ,

   Sadly, many medical associations and ethics committees increasingly embrace physicans’ personal beliefs within their own comfort zones from refusing “after-morning” pills to female rape victims to denial of any particular prescriptions to patrons.

   That’s what I have been a vocal critic of the possibility for the creation of theocratic state for past seven years after GWB’s unexpected political victory in 2000.

   Have you read an online article on Why the Muslim World’s Decline in Science? That contributed to the decline of political and economic powers of many Muslim countries.

   Back to the point, I kinda have a mixed feelings about your and Amy’s approach to ABC’s “AMC” show feature the deaf baby with cochlear implant.

   Deaf people and the Deaf Bilingual Center (DBC) ought to have the rally in front of the ABC Network and AMC studio to emphasize on the importance of ASL to be part of the AVT therapy.

   That will be very helpful to the public exposure of DBC’s existence to the public eye!

   Robert L. Mason (RLM)

5. kbjensen Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 10:24 am

   Hi there,

   I have to agree with Amy. CI doesn’t bother me as much. I am still not with it for babies or children.. However if the parents decide this is best…and adding ASL then I salute these parents.

6. ChrisH Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 11:27 am

   I have to agree with what Amy Cohen Efron comments

   I am not embarrassed if my writing is some poor. When I gathered some YouTube about hearing baby started to talk in sign language. I saw a woman talking to the baby without sign language as the hearing baby can sign language. It bothers me what I think. I consider if the CI baby, who is able to list to the woman talking, can sign language the same as the hearing baby.

7. ChrisH Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 11:30 am

   I mean, CI baby will become Bilingual. CI baby is able to sign and is able to hear and talk.

8. IamMine Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 11:46 am

   Hi,

   I’m with you, MZ, and Amy Cohen Efron on not bashing the CI but to also encourage sign language as part of their journey with their CIs - that is, if the parents decide to go that route.

   ChrisH - good for you! Your message is important, not the grammar.

   Anyway, thanks for the info, MZ and ACE!

9. Dianrez Says:
   August 14th, 2007 at 12:07 pm

   This makes me queasy, in that a popular soap opera is making CI treatment central to their storyline. Soaps being what they are, overdramatized, they are sure to wring the most out of this situation. With plenty of tearjerking dialogue, the CI may come out as a miracle cure and if any sign language is mentioned, could be made the villain of the plot. In the end, the “Be Opened” miracle of speech will win out and everybody will be happy.

   It will take us years to undo the damage to the minds of the daytime TV watching public who are mainly homemakers with great influence on what happens to their young children.

   The most effective intervention will be to contact the writers of this soap opera and convince them that there is more drama in learning to think and in effortless communication in a variety of modes.

10. - Ron - Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 12:20 pm

    More and more people start to misinterpret “bilingualism” in Deaf education and they even consider spoken English is part of bilingualism in Deaf education. The original definition of bilingualism in Deaf education is using ASL and written English fluently and educators are required to be fluent in both ASL and written English. It absolutely has nothing to do with spoken English.

    Audists are trying to take over Deaf education completely and they even use fear and smear tactics to pressure parents of Deaf children to have their children CI’ed. Let us stop people from misinterpreting it and we must not tolerate their betrayal and theft of our innocent Deaf children for their financial gains.

    Believe me, we are going through this era like Deaf people with oralism era. It is time for us to wake up and tell others stop being apathetic. Let us fight back against those audists and their people. I strongly encourage you all to read the book called “The Deaf Mute Howls”.

    - Ron -

11. ChrisH Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    Ron

    I suggest you to do research about Bringing up baby bilingual.

    http://www.parentdish.com/2006/11/06/bringing-up-baby-bilingual/

    I am not DeafMute. I am still deaf.

12. Jarom M. Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 12:46 pm

    That’s neat about the show!

    About sign language being added to oral method. I am not keen on that idea because the parents have right to decide to how to raise their children, Oral method, ASL, Cued Speech. If parents want to use the oral method with aid of sign language. I am all for it as long the parents make the decision for the child NOT the deaf people or deaf community. I see nothing wrong with children being raised orally because they have access to the language also thank to the technology today, it is not like 10, 20, or 30 years ago where the children rely on hearing aids which provides limited benefits compared to the benefits that are being provided by cochlear implants.

13. drmzz Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 12:48 pm

    Looks like to be another soap in mouth moment from la la land. I hope they realize they have hands.

14. Karen Mayes Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 1:47 pm

    Yeah, I heard about “All My Children”’s newest story plot and I think it is good in a way… to try to show deaf people in positive light. I think it would be awesome if the actors/actresses used ASL, along with speaking/listening (not at the same time, but to help the deaf child to develop code-switch skill… between signing, listening, speaking, writing, etc.)

    As for oracy, oracy is STILL in an infancy stage… not much is known on how to implement speaking/listening skills into English part for deaf children. We have to remember that NOT all deaf children have aptitude for oracy. There is NOTHING wrong with some deaf children who WANT to learn to speak… let them. As for CI, yeah, naturally AVT comes with the package of CI for hearing parents and I am sure we will see that on the show. Hopefully someone from ABC headquarters is reading this blog and gets more info on the importance of implementing ASL into deaf children’s lives.

    One more thing… there is a paper on oracy (I forgot the name of the paper, but it was in the volume 2 AEBED book) that showed using ASL helped improve the ability to speak in some deaf people (NOT ALL… only some.)

    Anyway, I won’t be able to watch “All My children” since I work, but I will keep an eye on the story plot as it unfolds…

15. John Egbert Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 2:21 pm

    Jarom M.

    My parents decided what was best to raise me after listening to doctors and oral ideology group.

    But when I grew up, learned to speak very well, I decided to learn ASL at the age of 18 years old.

    That’s when I finally became a normal human being with the capability to interact with American Sign Language like a hearing person verbally.

    Now, where was my rights to grow up normal?

    Why and how was my parents misinformed?

    Why did I have to grow up with my parent’s gullible right to choose me to be a “parrot”?

    Do you think that it is alright for the doctors, etc to tell the parents not to let their deaf child learn sign language like they did to my parents?

    WHY?

    What is wrong with American Sign Language?

    John F. Egbert

16. Mishkazena Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 5:12 pm

    John, I wonder the same thing. I was glad I learned sign language when I went to college. I wasn’t permitted to be exposed to ASL while I was growing up. It has enhanced my life tremendously, too. It sure didn’t hurt my speech and lipreading, as AGB and John Tracy Clinic cautioned my parents repeatedly.
    Imagine how I feel when I encountered other deaf people who were given the opportunity to learn sign language when they were small and they could speak and lipread well, too. These oral educators deceived my parents. : (

17. Jarom M. Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 5:49 pm

    There is nothing wrong with ASL. Like I emphasized many times… It’s up to parents to make the decision. Even if parents was informed about sign language and they chose oral method over sign language for some reasons… (which I know many parents did after they was informed about ASL and Cued Speech.) I can’t point the fingers at anybody includes the professionals because THE PARENTS ARE THE ONE WHO MAKE THE DECISION… The child may learn sign language when they are young adult or adult.

    I was raised with cued speech and was implanted at the age of two. I still wear the implant today. I didn’t learn how to sign til I was sophomore in high school. To be honest, sign language is just a accessory for me because I speaks most of the time instead of signing. The only time I would use sign language is when I interacts with the deaf who use sign language.

    I believes that all professionals should inform the parents of deaf child about all options. Then, let the parent decide for themselves…. If they feels that ASL or oral works best for them then let them alone.

    My mother was informed of all options when I was diagnosed with deafness… She decided that sign language is not the best route to go with me. Hence, Cued Speech.

    I am for all communication methods because ALL have their pros and cons…

    Just because the child was raised orally, doesn’t mean the child is not normal just because they don’t sign.

18. Lisa C. Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 5:56 pm

    I agree with MZ and Amy about not bashing at people with CI. After seeing the deaf person bashing at a woman with CI, I took him with me later to watch me interview with some people with CI and told him that he had to be QUIET but listen to us which he did. He stopped bashing at them afterward. His attitude toward them changed.

19. Mishkazena Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 7:16 pm

    Jarom, hearing babies start listening immediately after birth while deaf babies receive no communication. I strongly believe that deaf babies should be permitted to communicate whatever they can, just like hearing babies.. It’s not fair for them to be deprived of communication and language stimuli until they get C.I. and AVT, if that’s what their parents choose, because they have the human need to communicate. It is very unfortunate that the hearing babies are encouraged to sign until they are able to express themselves in words, but deaf babies aren’t.

    It also appears that many parents are not still fully informed about the choices, just like John’s and my parents were. Did you see what Amy wrote? Your parents are in the small group who explored all the options and decided on cued speech and cochlear implant. How many parents are aware that the knowledge of sign language will NOT harm the auditory and speech skills, but can enhance the acquisition of these skills?

20. C Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 7:21 pm

    I used to watch soap operas, specifically Days of our Lives. I just don’t have the time anymore. But, I know there are forums out there where viewers share opinions, gripes, spoilers, etc about the story line. That would be a good place to start by sharing factual information about CI and ASL. Just a thought. I agree, no bashing.

21. Lisa C. Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 8:23 pm

    My speech improved after I learned ASL when I was 15 and hearing people understood me better.

22. Deaf258 Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 9:35 pm

    Jarom, that’s so typical of you to start ruffling feathers wherever you go. You can fool others, but you can’t fool me!

23. The One and Only Ridor Says:
    August 14th, 2007 at 10:47 pm

    Jarom, be quiet. Nobody believes what you say these days.

    MZ: I did mention that AMC was going to have a deaf-related plot … LAST WEEK! Where is the link to that? LOL.

    R-

24. Karen Mayes Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 4:58 am

    Lisa C… there you go. Another instance that ASL does help improve the speaking/listening ability… that literacy helps, especially with foreign languages as people learn to become fluent.

    There is NOTHING audism about learning/speaking English and other languages as 2nd languages, with ASL as the main language. It works for SOME deaf people… My deaf son is taking Spanish now, so he is on the way to become multilingual now (English, ASL, and Spanish.)

    Deaf babies… born to see instead of to hear, like MZ pointed out, so it is important to concentrate on the visual part first instead of waiting for CI to take care of it. Yup, the parents are the ones who make the final decisions, but it concerns me that parents appear not to be interested in learning more about ASL (too much work for them… since they’d have to learn ASL? They’d rather focus on teaching one language, their home language to their deaf babies.. understandable.)

    Making decisions for hearing parents is rarely easy :o), so we CANNOT bash them. We also make the decisions that people may not agree with. It is part of being parents… as long as we all take advantage of having access to the world of information.

25. Brian Riley Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 6:05 am

    Jarom M. (#12),

    Please don’t mix two issues together. Parents might have the right to make decisions about their deaf children, but that doesn’t mean that we should sit back and applaud them if they make the wrong choices.

    The whole point of free speech is that we are attempting to persuade people to make the right decisions.

26. Katherine Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 7:52 am

    To C:

    That’s an idea we should go after to help balance their views and hope words get spread among their own circles, hence the ripple of effect. Who knows what these viewers who get educated by us can do for the Deaf community in the long run. We all have to make a sacrifice through proaction and be patient.

    Apathy doesn’t belong in the Deaf community and we simply can’t afford to waste time with apathiness. Oppression breeds apathiness, so to overcome apathiness is to defy oppression.

27. Jarom M. Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 9:37 am

    Brian Riley-

    I am not going to dispute your perspectives. It’s interesting to see people’s perspectives on this subject since it’s very sticky subject.

    You mentioned wrong choices… I find those words very interesting. Really, people will always view one method or other as wrong choice… You and I have our preferences. Like I say, I am not against any methods. What I am for, the parents to be fully informed about all options then let them make the decisions for themselves.

28. Brian Riley Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 10:17 am

    Jarrom,

    It is wrong to deny deaf babies the opportunity to use a natural language at birth. Period.

    Whether or not parents have the right to make those decisions for their deaf child is a side issue.

    You either need to address the main issue, or admit that you have no preference or no opinion on it. It is completely illogical to bring up the side issue as a way of answering the main issue.

29. Floridagirl Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 10:45 am

    Jarom M.

    It is obvious that you delayed your language until the age of two, you got CI and learned Cue language. These helped you to focus on monolingual such as English, which is part of the family to Cue language and Oral language. In opposite, deaf babies receive vocabulary in ASL and grow to structure language and gain their IQ.

    You think it is okay that deaf( not all deaf) struggle to use oral but will possibly fall behind in the low grades. Failing oral deaf students gain oppression when these deaf need to access either ASL or Cue language and catch up to increase language.

    ————————————————————————————————-

    Amy

    “I wholeheartedly support her suggestion that we need to be *smart* in how we present ourselves that we are strong advocates for using American Sign Language for deaf babies and toddlers WITH cochlear implants along with their AVT sessions.”

    It is good news of ChrisH brought it CI babies bilingual-ASL and English, but I have not seen CI babies communicate in ASL as primary language. It is a great deal of irony.

30. Floridagirl Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 10:57 am

    Jarom M.

    I forgot to ask if you were born deaf. While it was nothing to receive, communicate, and gain some vocabulary, I agree with John E who commented, my parent’s gullible right to choose me to be a “parrot”.

31. Floridagirl Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 1:15 pm

    I found that website in Vlog shows the representation of CI baby. I clearly see CI baby has trouble because her CI comes off her ear too easily while she is moving a lot her hands in communication. Hearing and CI babies have the same as not developed talking their voice. ChrisH is right.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PlmEMG6NTM

32. Jean Boutcher Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 1:41 pm

    It is morally and ethically wrong to deprive a deaf child’s BIRTHRIGHT signed language. Dot.

    I am disappointed that doctors fail to comply with the NAD’s 1993 position paper which has it that all doctors make a copy of the paper to the parents and the CI candidates. It looks like that the NAD Board has to re-issue an updated position paper because today is the third millennium.

33. KAREN Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 2:05 pm

    i have a friend who is deaf and had ci ,allhis life his mother wouldnt let him learn asl ..he struggled thru regular schools but he did graduate…he as an adult got the ci surgery ,and i must say he used it for 2 weeks and couldnt stand it he never wheres it anymore ,i ask him why?because he hears everything at same time …traffic,tv,people,etc. all at same timedrove him crazy .so he wont use it..and i have been teaching him asl. he wondnt learn before cause he was ashamed cause of mother ..but thank god he sees now how important it is …i hope all people who get ci need to know that when they open ears too hear it will be all noises same time ..can be overbearing..i hope they work on that somehow improve .or ??? thank you for this page i read all of things important .

34. RLM Says:
    August 15th, 2007 at 5:36 pm

    Ron F., Brian Riley and Jean Boutcher, well-said!

    We really could not afford to be dutifully polite and submissive on the issue of AVT therapy to deprieve more and more deaf babies from learning American Sign Language.

    That’s what Ron F. said about too many people misinterpret the spoken English to be part of the bilingualism within deaf education. How true!

    I did not have any chance of viewing the AMC show today on 15th for the introduction of deaf baby with CI.

    Robert L. Mason (RLM)

35. Ken Rose Says:
    August 17th, 2007 at 1:23 am

    “Please don’t bash them about the possible use of cochlear implants and AVT.”

    But PLEASE, by all means, bash ABC on their HIDEOUS, INCOMPREHENSIBLE CAPTIONS on AMC.

    ABC’s CAPTIONING has been completely INCOHERENT. Ya know, if’n you’re going to try to make some statement in support of the Deaf Community, you could at least TRY to provide COMPETENT CAPTIONING.

    Sic ‘em!

    ABC’s forum on AMC is http://forums.go.com/abc/daytime/allmychildren/forum?start=0&forumID=6&byThread=true
    and a direct question page is
    http://abc.go.com/daytime/burningquestion/index.html

    The best efforts of ABC to try to represent the Deaf Community is completely NEGATED if Deaf people can’t even understand what the heck is being said on the show. If “cochlear implant” comes out “COKE LEER IN PLANT,” or some other gobbledygook.

    It’s well about time Deaf people stood up for COMPETENT CAPTIONING. It’s not enough that TV simply be captioned, if the networks don’t even try to make their captions legible or make sense.

    Of course, certain broadcasts like live news might mistakes here and there. But a taped show has no excuse for incoherent captioning and Deaf people shouldn’t put up with it any longer!

    It’s an ADA issue. Some networks, notably COMEDY CENTRAL, routinely put up crappy Live captions, even when the show is rebroadcast weeks later. It’s inexcusable. And if Deaf people need to threaten a Class Action lawsuit to stop it, so be it.

36. Jean Boutcher Says:
    August 17th, 2007 at 6:58 pm

    Thank you, Ken, for mentioning ADA. I have
    just recently learned that ADA has weakened.
    Congress has to re-enact it. ;-(

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• About Mishka Zena

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