Pros And Cons Of Cochlear Implants

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Controversy of Cochlear Implants in America Today Hearing is a complex sense and affects a child’s cognitive, linguistic, and social characteristics. However, we having 28 million Americans that have hearing impairments. Most lose their hearing due to aging, ear infections, sickness, and genetic abnormalities. Today we have scientific advancements which has lead to the invention of what is called a “cochlear implant”(Chaikof 1) .Cochlear implants are used as a "cure" to sensor - neural hearing loss by bypassing the outer ear through electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. In extreme hearing loss, mostly cause from genetic abnormalities, there are not enough functioning hair cells in the cochlea to stimulate the ear from externally received speech information. Cochlear implants most of the time can not fix or make a hearing impaired person suddenly hear again but it can send signals past the damaged part of the ear to the brain which signals a sound. Unfortunately, much controversy is held within the deaf and hearing communities about topics such as oralism, sign language, cued speech, and recently the cochlear implant. People have strong opinions about using a cochlear implant that range from being a barbaric device to being a miracle. People who are against the cochlear implant argue that it is changing a person from who they were born to be , it isn’t part of their deaf…show more content…
"The Cochlear Implant Controversy - CBS Sunday Morning - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. Chaikof, Rachel. "Cochlear Implant Online." Cochlear Implant Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. . Kissell, Joe. "Cochlear Implants: Interesting Thing of the Day." Interesting Thing of the Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. . Wade, Margaret. "The Cochlear Implant Controversy -- Margaret Wade." Georgia Highlands College. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2009.

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