The Independent has published an article by a deaf man called Stuart McNaughton who has written about his deaf childhood and how cochlear implants have transformed his life.
In one section of the article, he says the closest he got to coming into contact with other deaf children was when his mother looked around a deaf school, but according to him, she told him that she saw simply: “a classroom of pupils [who] simply mimicked each other, grunting rather than speaking, using their hands to communicate with one another.” As a result he went to mainstream school.
It’d be interesting to know what our readers think of the article and particularly that part of it – do leave your comments below.
Extract:
Sometimes, I look back at the photos of myself as a young boy. Scanning the images, I recognise my mother, my father, even the distinctive features of my two elder sisters. I vaguely remember the cousins whom we have lost contact with over the years, but I do not recognise, or relate to, the photos of myself.
I was born with hearing, but when I was 18 months old, my parents noticed an enormous change. Suddenly, after suffering from a fever, I simply stopped “responding”. I had also stopped using the very limited vocabulary I had learnt by this young age. It was a scary time, and imagine my mother’s response when one medical professional casually supposed that I was “either very deaf or just incredibly stupid”.
Read the full article here: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-day-my-silence-ended-8539724.html
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Jill
March 20, 2013
Oh Jesus – what a terrible, terrible tale of parent neglect and childhood trauma. I found the piece extremely difficult to read. That poor man internalised so much oppression and doesn’t seem to realise that his life would have been so different if his parents had learnt sign language and…
Oh God – I can’t go on it’s just too depressing – sorry.
Part of me thinks this is some sort of horrible April Fool…
nigallant
March 20, 2013
i psoted this on the independent website but i want to post it here too…. as you can see, this all kinda grated on me.
i want to say that im sure that everyone around you made the most amazing effots they could. however please let me put another perspective forward without being seen as rude.
im Deaf myself, and proud to be. Like you I wasnt born deaf. It interests me that you dont make reference at all to using sign langauge to communicate, id be interested to know if you do sign. this is after all the communication method of the deaf. If you have no speech as comes across in this article then to leave you, even as a child, with no sign language and no speech and therefore no clear way to make yourself understood could be argued as child abuse. well not argued, it is. Ive heard of situations where deaf parents have been threatened by social services (who only want to help!!) for not giving their child proper access to a hearing world which will allow them to access speech. well why not the other way round?! your parents should have given you access to the deaf world in order that you could learn that language, and make you proud to be deaf rather than ashamed of it – thats good for noone psychologically!!
i would also say, although im no expert, that youve been a little let down by audiology services. cochlear implants have been around for years and years. and as a child you should really have been a prime candidate, especially as your parents were determined to mainstream you! im amazed this wasnt considered earlier by audiology.
finally can i just say that some of the most amazing people i know went to non-oral deaf schools like the one described by your mother. theyre smart, proud and independent despite their deafness. and this was given to them by their school. no they dont speak but they sign and thats a beautiful language, our own langauge!! its possible your childhood experiences would have been incredibly positive if youd had those deaf role models and that deaf education. youll never know, but i think its sad to see cochlear implants as a “cure” for deafness when it doesnt necessarily need to be cured! deaf people have as good a quality of life as everyone else as long as they have access to the things they need!! this seems like an unfair and one sided perspective.
Jill
March 20, 2013
Ni Gallant – so well put. Thank you for bringing sense and sensibility to this issue.
Robert Mandara
March 20, 2013
Concerning the above comments, I don’t know which paths are the right ones (deaf school or mainstream, speech or sign). However, nowhere in the article does Stuart express regret that he didn’t learn to sign or go to a deaf school. He sounds very happy to be part of the hearing world now.
It’s all about individual choices and preferences in the end. I’m getting a little tired of the Deaf painting the deaf as traitors to the cause (not properly deaf and proud of it) when we strive to function in the hearing world. It isn’t wrong and isn’t a crime is it? Ultimately, being deaf isn’t necessarily any easier than being Deaf.
Therefore I would like to see more Deaf-to-deaf and deaf-to-Deaf respect for our individual choices – each to his or her own. What’s right for you or me isn’t necessarily right for everyone else.
Good luck to Stuart. His article will, I’m sure, inspire and help many readers.
Andrew Fox
March 20, 2013
As the proud, hearing father of an incredibly brave and talented, profoundly deaf, but successfully cochlear implanted son, I despair at stories like this. I don’t know the young man involved but I can’t believe how a parent, let alone a physician can act in that dismissive manner.
Either embrace him as any child, encouraging and offering every support for development or look at alternative solutions, such as cochlear implants, and pursue your chosen route tirelessly. Regardless of direction.
My son is 22, a MBA qualified journalist, with an astounding vocabulary, and a wonderful all round man. I’d like to think that is a combination of his intellect and determination and his parents desire to allow him every opportunity in life.
Surely, that’s what parents are meant to do? However, don’t get me started on the medical profession’s appalling attitude to deafness…
Irene Winn (Mrs)
March 21, 2013
I have been completely deaf in one ear, but normal hearing in the other. My family were all hearing. I went to a mainstream school. Like all children, I coped with my difficulties, but it was a struggle. At the age of 33, I found deaf culture. I found patience and acceptance and it blew me away! I don’t suppose for one minute that my parents didn’t care or love me, but not exposing me to the deaf world was a neglect of my needs. I operate normally in the hearing world, but I am always struggling. I refuse to give in.
Stuart McNaughton
March 26, 2013
I thought the article was wonderful, especially as I wrote it! I can tell from the various responses that this post that nobody has read the book that this article was written to introduce. To briefly respond to a series of the various remarks, I commend Andrew for highlighting the point that CHOICE is key for the survival of any family – my family chose to include me in the larger hearing world than to restrict me to the deaf world, and as I explain in detail in ‘He Is Not Me’, opportunity has come my way since my journey to better hearing. In response to Jill’s dramatic response, for somebody who suffered from ‘parental neglect’, I am incredibly happy. In response to Ni Gallant, indications for candidacy are changing all the time, and it was only in 2001 that I was deemed a candidate – you can’t just elect from cochlear implantation, a number of factors need to be taken into account. Please take a moment to visit my website on http://www.HeIsNotMe.com – my book presents a very balanced, accepting-of-all account of my own personal journey with hearing loss. I would recommend others to write about theirs too.
Editor
March 26, 2013
Thanks for your comment Stuart, always nice to hear from the people involved!
Regarding your description in the article of your mother observing children using sign language, do you now realise that they were almost certainly not simply mimicking each other, but rather, they were communicating with one another?
It’d be interesting to know whether your view of this has changed –
Thanks
Charlie (Editor)