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From: SusanS@email.com

To: Kimmy5@getmail.com

Subject: Information regarding your son

Hello Kim,

My name is Susan Sharp. I know you don't know me, but one of your co-worker's, Alison Sharp, is my daughter Amanda's sunday school teacher.   She informed us that your son has a cochlear implant and that you and your husband are deaf.  We have recently learned that our daughter Amanda has the option of having the cochlear implant surgery done.  Her father and I are deaf as well as all of her friends and we feel that if she gets the surgery then she won’t be apart of the deaf culture she has grown up in.  I was hoping that you could give me a parents perspective on the surgery.

Sincerely,

Susan Sharp

From: Kimmy5@getmail.com

To: SusanS@email.com

Subject: Responses to your question           

Susan,

I would be happy to share some of my feelings about my son Justin’s experience with you.  To start off with let me just say that I completely understand how you are feeling.  When my husband and I found out that Justin was a candidate for the implant we were oppossed to the idea.  Like you, I felt that being deaf was a part of Justin’s culture. It was everything he knew. The doctor encouraged us to think the decision through before we gave him our final answer.  We went home that day somewhat upset that the doctor didn’t understand.  We felt that Justin’s deafness wasn’t something that needed to be cured or “fixed”. 

Throughout the next week I read as much as I could on cochlear implants. I found a  powerpoint presentation that helped me understand what a cochlear implant was. Even though I was opposed to the option, I felt I should at least know what I was denying my son.  Eventually I realized that my opinion of the surgery had changed.  I thought about all the things Justin would be able to do if he could enter into the “hearing world”.  He would be able to enjoy the simple things in life such as listening to music or watching television without the closed captioning on. I also thought about all the times Justin had come home upset, because of the way people treated him.  Most importantly, I realized that Justin would have so many more opportunities now as well in the future if he could communicate with the hearing world. I realized that to deny my son the chance to hear would be wrong.

I would love to hear back from you!

Kim Gains

From: SusanS@email.com

To: Kimmy5@getmail.com

Subject:  I would love to hear from you again!

Kim,

            Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. I’m still much undecided about the decision I have to make regarding Amanda’s implant.  I think I’m scared of how she will interact with us as well as with her friends.  I’m also worried that she won’t fit in with her deaf friends anymore, but she won’t be a part of the hearing world either.  Would you mind to share with me how Justin’s life changed after the surgery.  I would appreciate any information you could give me. 

Thanks,

Susan Sharp

From: Kimmy5@getmail.com

To: SusanS@email.com

Subject: More about Justin

Susan,

It was good to hear from you again.  Your e-mails remind me of how I felt and the decisions I faced before Justin’s implant.  I must say that I’m glad I’m through that part of it!  I’d be happy to share with you some of the changes that have occurred in Justin’s life since his surgery.  At first I was worried how Justin’s deaf friends would react after he received his implant.  They felt the same way about deaf culture that I did, and I felt that they would hold it against Justin and treat him like a traitor.  In the beginning they did shut him out, but within a few days they seemed to forget about his situation.  He continues to use ASL with his deaf friends as well as with his father and me. I spoke with Justin about your situation and he thought it might help to show you a few of his journal articles and a poem that he wrote. 

            The main change in Justin’s life is the communication mode that he uses and his schooling options.  Before the surgery, Justin attended a school for deaf children.  Although Justin will never hear and speak like regular children, his audiologist and SLP felt that he would benefit more from a speaking school.  Since his father and I are deaf, he needs to receive auditory information from other sources. We found a wonderful school that provides Justin with all the resources he needs, but also allows him to interact with speaking children.  Justin is very happy with his new school and has made many new friends (deaf children and speaking children).  His teacher even writes us a letter every month to help us stay involved in his education. His SLP is working towards changing Justin’s communication mode to include speech as well as ASL. You may want to consider talking to Justin's SLP, Katie Frazier.  You can contanct her by going to her webliography.

            I hope I provided you with some useful information.  I feel confident that we made the right decision in letting Justin receive a cochlear implant.  He seems happier now that he ever has before. 

Good Luck with everything,

Kim Gains

October 8, 2005

It has been four weeks since my surgery and my doctor has said I am healed enough to begin using my implant.  I had my first appointment with my audiologist today, and she said everything is going fine.  I was really nervous before I went to talk to her, because I had this nagging fear that the surgery didn’t work.  After she got all the pieces working, she turned the implant on.  All I could hear were really weird sounds.  I know that these sounds represent the signs I know, but since I've always been deaf I didn't recognize them.  The doctors told me what it would be like, but I couldn’t help hoping that it would be easier.  The audiologist told me that I would have to come back regularly for awhile to make sure everything is working right and I have to start speech therapy next week. I guess I finally understand that it will be a long process and take a lot of hard work.

October 20, 2005

I saw my friends today for the first time since I had my surgery.  All of my friends are deaf.  My parents said that they would be understanding and be happy for me, but some of them seemed upset.  My parents explained to me the controversy behind the implant, but I don’t understand why anyone would not want to hear if they were given the chance.  Most of my friends seemed genuinely happy for me, but some of them didn’t really respond to me.  Truthfully I think they might be jealous. I hope they get used to me with an implant, because it's going to be apart of me forever.

I have also started seeing a speech therapist. She has explained to me that my communication will now involve many factors as opposed to the sign language I was using before.  She also says that theres many factors that will determine the outcome of the surgery.  It was kind of depresssing, because I guess I was hoping that she would give me some exercises to do and I would miraculously start talking.  I guess it's kind of like learning a new language. 

I Am

By: Katie Frazier

I am a boy who is deaf

I wonder if anyone can help me

I hear nothing

I see they way they look at me

I want to be like my friends

I am a boy who is deaf

I pretend that I'm not different

I feel like everyone is looking at me

I touch my ears to show them what's wrong

I worry that I will always be this way

I cry because no one understands

I am a boy who is deaf

I understand that the doctors can help me

I say do whatever they have to

I dream that the procedure will work

I try not to set my expectations to high

I hope that I can hear

I am a boy who is deaf

 

 

 

 

 

Project Prospectus

Essential Question:

In what ways are relationships affected between a deaf child of a deaf culture who has recieved a cochlear implant and the familly and friends who form his/her support system?

Foundation Questions:

• What is a cochlear implant? 
• What do we know about deaf culture?

Tentative Point:

I plan to show families and patients that cochlear implants can be of great benefit them and that after a person recieves a cochlear implant they can continue to live a normal and happy life.

Genres

Genre 1. Webliography

Voice: Clinician

Potential Audience: General Public

Rationale: The webliography was developed to let the viewer's of this site know about the author. 

Genre 2. Powerpoint Presentation

Voice: Clinician

Potential Audience: General Public

Rationale: The powerpoint presentation will allow me to explain what a cochlear implant is in an organized manner.

Genre 3. Poem

Voice: Client

Potential Audience: The client's families and friends. 

Rationale: The poem is a way for the client to express the way he's feeling to his friend's and family. 

Genre 4. Journal Article:

Voice: Client

Potential Audience: Client

Rationale: This journal article is where the client describes what has been going on in his life since he recieved the cochlear implant. This is also a way for him to describe the changes in his relationships with family and friends that have occured since recieving the implant.

Genre 5. Pamplet

Voice: Clinician

Audience: General Public

Rationale:The pamphlet will explain what deaf culture is.

Genre 6. E-mail Exchange

Voice: Client's mother

Intended Audience: Another family who is considering a cochlear implant for there child.

Rationale: The mother will explain to the another deaf mother how her child has benefitted from a cochlear implant.  She will be able to describe to them how her relationship with her son has changed since the cochlear implant

Genre 7. Observation Report

Voice: Clinician

Intended Audience: Client

Rationale: The purpose of this interview is for the client to see how the child's level of functioning has changed from before he recieved the implant to after he recieved the implant. 

Integration of Genres:

Through all of these genres, I plan to show what changes occur in a child's life after they recieve a cochlear implant.  First they will get to know me by my webliography.  The powerpoint presentation will  let the audience know what a cochlear implant is and how individuals can benefit from them.  After they have a genral overview of cochlear implants, they will meet the client and begin to understand his feelings of the process from his poem and journal entries. I will use a pamphlet to explain what deaf culture is and what we know about deaf culture. The mother will then show her point of view by an e-mail exchange with another family considering an implant.  After the audience knows the emotianal aspect of the situation, the clincian will provide her knowledge through an observation of the child. By reading all these genres in this order, a viewer will hopefull understand how the relationships of a deaf child are affected after recieving a cochlear implant

Tenative Sources:

Resource: Academic Search Premier Keyword: Cochlear Implant and Culture Swanson, L. (1997). Cochlear implants: The head-on collision between medical technology and the right to be deaf. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 157(7), 929-933. Retrieved September 29, 2005, from the Academic Search Premier Database.

Resource: PsycINFO Keyword: Cochlear Implant and Relationship Hallberg, R.R., & Ringdahl, A. (2004). Living with cochlear implants: Experiences of 17 adult patients in Sweden. Journal of Audiology, 43(2), 115-122. Retrieved September 29, 2005, from the PsycINFO database.

Resource: ERIC Keyword: Cochlear Implant Moore, J.A., & Teagle, H.B. (2002). An introduction to cochlear implant technology, activation, and programming. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 33(3), 153-152. Retrieved October 1, 2005, from the ERIC database.

Resource: Academic Search Premier Keyword: Cochlear Implant Faber, C.D., & Grontved, A.M. (2000). Cochlear implantation and change in quality of life. Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 120(543), 151-153. Retrieved October 1, 2005, from the Academic Search Premier database.

Resouce: Academic Search Premier Keyword: Cochlear Implant and benefit Callanan, V., & O'Connor, A.L. (1996). Cochlear implantation for children and adults. Lancet, 347(8999), 412-1415. Retrieved October 1, 2005, from the Academic Search Premier database.