I am so thankful for cochlear implants! They are already giving Drew the ability to hear things he couldn't just a few days ago. But that doesn't mean that I don't feel sad sometimes that Drew is going to wear these the remainder of his life. Except at night. (What if there is a fire?) Except at the pool. (How am I going to tell him to stop splashing his sister?) And, oh how I already dread the other kids making fun of the fact that he looks different while on recess.
Or maybe he won't have to wear these the rest of his life? Check out this article.
5 comments:
Something seems wrong with the link, I can't open it.
Don't be sad he has to wear the processors, that's nothing in exchange for the gift of linguistic and social independence. And they are in fact quite pretty and will only get smaller and smaller.
Fire? Get flashing fire alarms. The pool? Faces are as just as expressive as voices at times, so give him one very clear look. Use a little home signs to use in emergencies...
As to Drew being made fun of in school - that won't necessairly happen. My experience shows that children can be very nice to "different" kids if they are supplied with enough and correct information and given a specific role - be a friend to Drew, help Drew if necessary. You will probably have issues with bullies, but those will be resolved and Drew's self esteem won't suffer because I can feel you will quickly learn what's best for Drew.
Happy hearing to Drew! I am alone at home today and it's funny to listen myself breath...
Yana,
Please try the link now. I don't know what the problem was, but I believe that I fixed it.
I hope that I did not convey that I am upset by these things. They are minor issues - but my point was that this article shows a wave of the future that would be awesome! No external pieces!
When I learned of Drew's hearing loss I lost the dream of *normal*, whatever that means. I quickly moved on from that, but there are times I think about these things. I know there are ways around them, such as you suggested, but sometimes I just wish that I didn't have to think about it.
I remember one night crying over the fear that Drew would not be able to hear fire alarms at his dormatory in college. The next day I found out about fire alarms that actually make the bed vibrate!
Children are going to be made fun of in school for the color of their eyes, hair, etc. It's just a shame that they have to be made fun of at all. And as a Mom I don't want my kids to feel any pain at all.
I hope this makes sense...
Watching your child go through any kind of trial is such a hard thing to do, but of course that's how they learn and grow and develop into who they are suppose to be.
I think the technology we are on the brink of is amazing and one day all of these things may very well be non-issues. In the meantime, with all the people walking around with Bluetooths and other gadgets stuck to their heads, he couldn't be growing up in a better time! Probably some substitute teacher one day will yell at him, thinking that he's listening to music in class :)
Keep going strong! You're doing a great job! Thanks for sharing your journey!
Leeann
I read the article! Since Drew's life is ahead of him, he will profit from those advances. Maybe I will too! When I compare advances for people with blindness and deafness, deafness is leading!
I think it's normal to be scared of what's ahead, but don't forget that you are in for many great things - he will learn to speak and he will give you many pleasant surprises as he grows. He looks soooo adorable hearing the drum!
In comparison to other developed countries the US does a lot for people with hearing disabilities - flashing alarms, vibrating alarm clocks, CapTels, induction loops... You are in the best possible place!
Deafread.com missed this important blog entry regarding the future of deaf society. A deaf society that can adapt themselves to make their lives better.
http://www.deafadvocacy.org/blog/blog.html
Dont forget to bookmark or add to your RSS list.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/OCDACBlog
Richard
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