The ongoing debate over cochlear implants is an extremely sensitive subject. As is true in any debate, there are two sides, and both need to be understood, and viewed with open eyes and minds. My concern is not whether cochlear implants are wrong or right, this is a very personal decision for each parent. My concern is however, the decision making process that parents go through. Parents need to be informed of all available options and take into consideration the long term effects of the decisions they make in the beginning years of their child's life. In order for parents to decide what is the right or best decision for their child, they need to have a clear understanding of what it means to be deaf and Deaf. Basically, there are two definitions.
             From the medical standpoint deafness is a disability that has the potential to be fixed or "cured". This idea is acknowledged with a lowercase 'd'. From the cultural standpoint deafness is a characteristic or a "privilege" that allows the individual to be a part of deaf culture. This idea is acknowledged with a capital D. The State needs to protect deaf children by requiring parents to know what it truly means to grow up being deaf. They need to clearly understand both sides of deafness before being allowed to surgically implant their child with the cochlear implants. The state needs establish a measure of guidelines to ensure parents have the proper information before choosing a cochlear implant for their child, a decision that will have lifelong detrimentally, and possibly emotionally scarring results.
             Let me explain what a cochlear implant is and how it works. A cochlear implant is a device that bypasses portions of the ear that may not be working in typical fashion, and provides stimulation directly to the auditory nerve. The signals generated by the implant are sent by the auditory nerve to the brain for high level processing. The cochlear implant cons...