Disability: a condition (such as an illness or an injury) that damages or limits a person's physical or mental abilities: the condition of being unable to do things in the normal way. Even though the Merriam Webster dictionary definition gives a clear idea of disability, the true connotation of the word disability differs from Discourse to Discourse. The hearing people of the world would consider deafness to be a disability, but the deaf community doesn't agree with the hearing. For the hearing community, the ability to give your child the option to hear is a medical miracle. The deaf community couldn't be more offended with the idea of Cochlear implants. The film Sound and Fury follows both a hearing family and a deaf family in their struggle to decide whether a Cochlear implant is what is best for their deaf child. Both families make compelling statements for both ends of the argument, which makes it hard for me to conclude whom is being rational. In the end, I couldn't choose a side because both situations were so different in nature.
Peter and Nita Artinian are the deaf parents of three deaf children. The father, Peter, is very proud of his deafness and the deaf culture he and his family are a part of. Peter grew up with two hearing parents and a hearing brother, making him the only deaf member of his family. The mother, Nita, has learned to adapt to deafness and is more open to new technological advances, like the Cochlear implant. Both Peter and Nita only want what is best for their little daughter Heather, whom has presented the idea of Cochlear implants. Peter and Nita became afraid that with an implant, their daughter would reject American Sign Language and the deaf culture. Heather is a precocious, vivacious, and avidly curious six year old that, the family learns, could still receive the Cochlear implant and fit in with the hearing community. Heather talked of her desire to hear a car crash, music and other basic sounds the hearing community takes for granted. Nita was open to the idea of Cochlear implants for herself, but was discouraged when the doctor informed her that she was too old to reap the benefits. The Artinians visited another all deaf family with a daughter whom had had the implant surgery. It was evident that the implanted girl in the deaf family struggled to talk clearly and actually preferred to sign. This is what would be expected to happen to Heather, since she wouldn't be exposed to speech in her own home and would need to resort to sign language for communication. The Artinians would rather Heather loose the opportunity to hear in order to not loose her deaf identity. At this point, the Artinians decision was clear; Cochlear implants would be unsuitable for a deaf child in an all deaf family. Peter's hearing parents couldn't disagree more. They believed that Peter was depriving his daughter of the opportunity of an easier life in the hearing community. They also made the argument that deaf schools were notorious for being poor in education and Heather would receive a better education in a hearing school. Tension began to grow between Peter and his parents and even more so in Peter's brother Chris's household.
At the same time of the Artinians implant controversy, Chris had become the father of twins; one twin was born hearing, and the other was born deaf. Now, Chris and his wife had to make a similar inverted decision as Peter and Nita; are Cochlear implants appropriate for a deaf child in and all hearing family? Chris and Peter's hearing parents couldn't agree more with Cochlear implants for the twin, but Chris's wife Mari's deaf parents objected. Mari's parents believe, as Peter does, that they would be shaming the deaf community with a Cochlear implant. A Cochlear implant in the deaf community is almost a slap in the face; saying that the deaf community isn't good enough for their child. In the end, Chris decided on a Cochlear for his infant son.
Many different arguments of identity and culture were made, but all in different situations. Peter didn't know the pain his mother felt raising him as a child and wished that she had given him the opportunity of a Cochlear implant. But now, Peter is firmly planted in the deaf community along with Nita. Heather was just a curious, innocent six year old, which made it so hard for Peter's parents to watch her now have to grow up in a difficult lifestyle. Mari grew up as the only hearing member of her family and has seen the struggles of being deaf and didn't want the same for her son. This is why I stated earlier that I couldn't pick a side of the argument; both situations are so different in nature, but fighting towards a similar goal. They both wanted their child to fit in and feel like the belong in the culture they were given. For Chris and Mari, deafness was a condition of being unable to do things in the normal way. For Peter and his family, deafness if NOT a disability, but a way of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment