Deaf Culture and Identity
Deaf is not the same problem to the affected people. Some individuals struggle with the disability throughout their lives while others have the sense of identity in the early stage of their lives. Some of the people who are deaf find it easy to associate with the hearing people. Still, there are others, which find it difficult to associate with the hearing individuals. You will find that some deaf sign while others do not know how to sign (Wilcox et al 35). Similarly, some deaf people prefer using hearing aid devices while others do not. Some even have the advantage of accessing cochlear implants. Perhaps, availability of cochlear is promoted by deaf culture. Deaf culture in America is a unique minority, which prefers using sign language as the primary mode of communication. The society also has labels, which it uses for identifying its members. They share common traditions, norms, behaviors, values, language, and traditions. For that reason, deaf people should not think of themselves as the disabled, disabled, or impaired. Instead, they cherish their culture because they have a unique privilege of sharing a common language and history as well.
Cochlear Implants: How They Work
A cochlear implant is an electronic and medical device that does the work of the already damaged inner ear. Just like the natural inner ear (cochlea), cochlear implant provides the brain with sound signals. It enables sound to be transferred to the hearing nerves of the affected person so that he or she can hear again. The sound processor that is put on behind the body captures sound, which in turn convert them into digital code. The same sound processor has the battery, which is used to power the whole system. The digitally-coded sound is transmitted through the implant coil by the sound processor. It then converts the digitally-coded sound into electrical impulses, which are then sent along the electrode array within the inner ear. Also, the electrodes of the implant stimulate the hearing nerve of the cochlea, which in turn sends the impulse into the brain for interpretation.
Advantages of Cochlear Implants
Cochlear implants have several benefits as compared to the hearing aids devices. The person who has cochlear implant hear well than the one who uses a hearing aid. Increased focus, more so when the person is in a noisy environment. It is easy to miss sounds, which a deaf person could not hear before having a cochlear implant. With the cochlear implants, deaf people can now feel safe in the world because they can also hear alarms and approaching vehicles. The same people can enjoy music and talk on the phone.
Deaf Identities and Cultural Values
Moreover, as the Artinians are planning to give their daughter a cochlear implant, they have to understand that every culture has its rules relating to polite behavior. Even though the society does not appreciates stereotypes; still, there are some general characteristics, which hold true to the majority members of a given culture. For examples, Deaf Americans share three propensities such as touching, direct communication style and checking with the group. This implies that in every culture behaviors are dictated by tacit or unspoken convention and the explicit rules of conduct. Based on the categorization of deaf identities, no single identity is shared by deaf people.
Diversity within Deaf Culture
Perhaps, there are more than seven different categories that people can ascribe them to, which include culturally separate, culturally isolated, culturally captive, deaf dominant bicultural, culturally marginal, and hearing dominant bicultural. For instance, the Deaf People who are ascribed to balanced bicultural are normally comfortable in both the hearing and deaf communities. They are also effective when interacting with the hearing and Deaf people. They do not show any preference to a particular group. They may not put on hearing aids but still interact with the people from the hearing community. However, the identity requires them to have the ability to both sign and speak. Thus, they can move freely between the two communities.
Importance of Cultural Values
Most importantly, the Artinian family should note that the ability to speak is not the deciding factor when looking for their daughter help. Many Deaf People are non-speaking but are successful in the manner which they interact with the hearing people. Similarly, there are the ones who can speak but are not comfortable when interacting with the hearing people. The category of deaf dominant bicultural individuals can interact very well with both the hearing and Deaf people. However, when given a chance they will prefer interacting with people fellow Deaf people or people who can sign.
Cultural Values in Deaf Community
The Deaf community also has common cultural values, which they share among themselves. One of the cultural values is individualism. Most of the Deaf people are raised as individuals who can exclusively be responsible for their lives (Marck 19). Also, a Deaf Person is in need of personal thoughts and personal space. The culture of individualism is borrowed from America, where it is odd if a person cannot value being lone at some point in life. On the contrary, deaf people prefer the culture of collectivism. They consider themselves to belonging to a close-knit and interconnected crowd (Fant 17). Therefore, they enjoy being in the company of other fellow deaf people. That is the best way in which they can seek methods of doing things the right way. When they meet for the first time, the primary goal is to find out where one is coming from to identify what they share in common. The physical appearance of one person is noted and must be remembered because it will be used as the landscape for sign communication (Holcomb 80). It will be difficult to hear the name of the person coming up until they are through with their conversation. Furthermore, collectivism amongst the deaf people is important for open communication. Secrets and withholding of information will work against the interconnected collectivism.
Teaching Cultural Values
Perhaps, it is imperative that the Artinian family teach their daughter about the cultural values that are appreciated by the deaf community (Holcomb 195). Members of the deaf culture have the opinion that they must think of the rules used when introducing yourself or saying goodbye after a long conversation. Children have also seen such cultural practices being repeated several times. Thus, they have fully incorporated them into their cultural repertoire. However, they will only realize the importance of these cultural values when placed in different groups that use different cultural values. Even if the Artinians is seeking help for their daughter, they have to understand that there are people who grew up without knowing the deaf community. They have been sheltered away from the deaf community by their educational system and parents. Therefore, they have grown up with the belief that there are no organizations that provide support to people like them. They do not have the opportunity of meeting other people with the same problem. Consequently, it is difficult for them to explore the chances of acquiring accessible languages like ASL (American Sign Language). Additionally, they are not aware of the educational opportunities, including schools and colleges for the deaf. They have little or no idea that there are various services available for them. As a result, they end up becoming culturally captive.
Conclusion: Joining Deaf Culture
In conclusion, Artinian family and their daughter can get help from deaf culture. There are several ways through which an individual can join Deaf Culture. Most of these ways are organized through biculturalism and bilingualism issues. Majority members of the Deaf Culture possess either culturally separate lifestyle or bicultural identities. Unfortunately, deaf people do not prefer starting their lives with the bicultural identity but rather with isolation or captive culture. Therefore, through the process of acculturation, they tend to adopt separate or bicultural identities. If they feel oppressed, they will tend to spend many years trying to conform to the expectation of the society. They even go to the extent of not appreciating the Deaf culture and shun away because of the negative information they have been receiving from teachers, parents, speech pathologists, and audiologists (Rochester 19). Many professionals prefer assimilation because it is a direct ticket out of the deaf ghetto culture. Their reason might be important because it is not healthy for deaf children to be brought up in the environment that has limited resources.
Works Cited
Fant, Louie J, Jan K. Humphrey, Gilbert C. Eastman, M J. Bienvenu, Alfred Sonnenstrahl, Paul L. Johnston, Thomas Coughlin, Dennis Schemenauer, Patrick Graybill, and Howie Seago. Deaf Culture Autobiography. Eden Prairie, MN: American Sign Language Productions, Inc, 2006.
Holcomb, Thomas K. In Introduction to American Deaf Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. “Rules of Social Interaction.” 195-221.
Holcomb, Thomas K. “Deafhood: A Personal Journey Toward Self-Actualization.” New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. 63-80. Print. In Introduction to American Deaf Culture.
Marck Marschark. “Growing Up Deaf.” In Raising and Educating a Deaf Child: A Comprehensive Guide to the Choices, Controversies, and Decisions Faced by Parents and Educators. 2nd Edition. 2007. New York: Oxford University Press, 17- 18. Print.
Rochester. Deaf Culture: PEPNet, 2004. Deaf Culture. PEPNet, 2004. Web. 15 Aug. 2015. Siple, Greer, Holcomb.Print.
Wilcox, Sherman. American Deaf Culture: An Anthology. Silver Spring, Md: Linstok Press, 1989. Print.
