Ann.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Stalnaker) (03/28/91)
Index Number: 14539
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
My personal opinion on genetic engineering is that it would be
wonderful if science and the medical field could prevent birth
defects that cause severe disabilities, including deafness
I don't think any of us want to be born with a disability as
most of us don't exactly like what disability we may have, but
we don't let our disability get us down. I've always believed
you are only handicapped if you let yourself be so.
I was born with a profound nerve deafness (along with my other
two siblings) which was caused by the fact both of my parents
had the same type of recessive gene. I know of others (one
couple who are very close friends of mine) who are in the same
situation but not in regards to deafness. I feel most people
would want to prevent birth defects caused from the genetic
aspect. With all of the technology that is available today,
all babies are tested for many things before birth and some
are correctable before birth. I think most of us would like
to see a cure for all disabilities and end the suffering
that many live with
It is too late for me to take advantage of what the future
may bring but I certainly wouldn't want to deprive any others
who might benefit from whatever can be done to prevent deafness
from birth. We all want to live normal lives with no barriers
to hamper us from doing so - so why not hope that the future
will have a cure for ALL
Of course, I'm not speaking for those who may become deafened
in later life. Some of that cannot be helped but a lot of
it can be prevented if precautions are taken - such as wearing
earplugs during artillery shooting, lawn mowing, construction
work, keeping volumes of stereo speakers down, and many
other things. You can still listen to the sounds but be a
bit more cautious by taking preventive measures.
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!385!14.0!Ann.Stalnaker
Internet: Ann.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.orgIJJT500@INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU (Mike Wheeler) (04/10/91)
Index Number: 14651 Ann, I was there when the NAD was debating their position. While I do not fully agree with what was produced, one overiding factor has been the safety factor. We consulted Independent Experts and found that there are major risks in the procedure used in implants that aren't currently addressed. Also, after meeting with some of the test cases for implants the benefits derived do not free up the person and give them sufficient levels of hearing as the producers would lead you to believe. It is sufficient to get basic environmental sounds. The technology that we are looking at officially supporting and that I encourage is the digital filtering tymbalic implants. Much safer, less expensive when developed, just as convient and probably more effective but more research needs to be done
Ann.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Stalnaker) (05/03/91)
Index Number: 15331
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
Hi Mike -
Thank you for your comments. I used to be a member of NAD but due
to some of their radical actions, I decided to drop out. I just
can't go along with some of their statements and feel they make
things more difficult for the whole hearing impaired population.
I know several who have had the cochlear implant - some were not
successful and some were - like all things in life, it's a gamble
but definitely worth a shot for many. Unfortunately, I'm not
one of them - I can't imagine going through the process at this
stage in my life since I've lived with my hearing loss for over
45 years.
I do feel children are an excellent candidate for this. I know
this is going to be taken wrong but I do feel if it improves their
quality of life and the ability to learn speech and speechreading,
it's the route to go.
I've noticed from several of your messages that you had a terrible
time with mainstreaming. I was mainstreamed long before there was
such a thing as mainstreaming and it worked wonderfully for me.
Based on my experiences, I do feel it can be successful but only
in public schools - not residential schools. I attended schools
all over the world along with my two siblings who are also profoundly
deaf and we had no problems whatsoever. At that time there was very
little known about deafness but my parents were determined we were
going to live normal lives and spent a great deal of time working
with us. The parents do have the right to get the best possible
education for their children - especially those with special needs.
It is not always necessary to follow the advice of experts because
often many experts are not exactly knowledgeable on what works -
more so those who don't really have first hand experience.
One example of this in my situation is the fact many physicians
were puzzled by the fact myself and my two siblings were able
to communication as well as we do since our audiograms show
very little hearing - in fact, they can't actually pinpoint
how much we do hear or don't hear. So - all factors are really
based on the individuals.
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