February 11, 2025 • 24 mins
Unlock the vibrant world of deaf culture and challenge your perceptions of cochlear implants. Join us as we explore the fascinating dynamics of deaf communities, where sign languages like ASL and BSL are not just tools for communication but integral parts of identity and culture. Discover the empowering concept of "deaf gain"—a perspective that highlights the unique benefits that come with deafness, such as enhanced visual and spatial skills. We'll also address the resistance some in the deaf community feel towards cochlear implants, rooted in a positive and proud perception of their identity. If you're eager to engage more deeply, we've gathered invaluable resources for learning sign language and connecting with the community.
Our conversation takes a cinematic turn as we celebrate the strides made in deaf representation on screen. From the groundbreaking storytelling in "Switched at Birth" to the award-winning short film "The Silent Child," we examine how these works have impacted public perception. Marvel's "Eternals" gets a special spotlight for introducing the first deaf superhero, marking a significant milestone in media inclusivity. Plus, we’ll nod to "The Walking Dead" for its authentic portrayal of deaf characters, further emphasizing the importance of diverse narratives. We're always excited to hear from you, so don't hesitate to reach out with suggestions for future episodes via our website!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
welcome back listeners.
This is Kevin letting you knowthat this is another classic
episode that we're playingbetween seasons two and three.
Make sure to leave this in yourpodcast player and, if you're
(00:29):
feeling so, obliged.
We really, really thank you forsupporting this show.
Enjoy.
Welcome to our podcast.
When life gives you lemons.
I'm Kevin Henry, and my partnerin crime and wife is Pommy
(00:52):
Henry.
I have a rare disease known asspinal cell umbrella ataxia,
which is a neuromuscular diseasethat's left me with mobility
challenges, as well as with aspeech impediment and
noise-induced anxiety.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Living with these disabilities, we have created
some helpful hints and lifelessons that we'd like to share
and that have made our lifepossible.
We consider ourselvesdisability advocates and intend
to spotlight some disabilityissues and things we find
interesting that we frequentlyencounter when we're out and
about.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Hi, welcome to our podcast.
When Life Gives you LemonsEpisode number six, and today
we're going to be talking aboutpeople with hearing disabilities
.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
As we take a deep dive into the disabilities on
the ADA, which is what Kevin.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
The Americans with Disabilities Act.
Roughly one quarter of ourpopulation is disabled.
Population is disabled and Ikind of think that includes
people with temporary as well aspermanent disabilities.
(02:14):
But I'm just guessing.
The ADA really just kind ofgives examples of what may be
considered disabled and a lot ofthe examples and fixes that
they suggest are for mobility.
Deaf and blindness is notreally addressed as much or as
(02:37):
prominently.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
While researching this, we came upon some very
interesting information.
I was not familiar with that.
There was a death culture.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, death culture is a little bit more permanent
than our mobility disabledcommunity and that everybody is
like different or, as they'remore similar and more defined.
A lot of cases they got out oftheir way to have special
(03:13):
schools for deaf communities.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Well, that's because most deaf people learn the sign
language, which is the ASL orthe BSL if you're in England.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Just for the record the ASL, bsl.
It's just like vocal languagesEverybody has one, that's
different.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Based on the country you mean.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Yeah, Based on the country you mean.
Yeah, if they're from Americaand use ASL, they can have
problems in France because theydon't speak the language.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
It's an L-S-Q in the other European countries.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
I also think that we should support the deaf
community.
Support the deaf community.
It's a little bit much to askthat we all learn ESL or BSL or
what have you, but we should atleast be able to recognize like
if a person is under trust andask for, perhaps, what sort of
(04:24):
assistance they require.
Perhaps also a good idea wouldbe learning the difference
between the signs for yes and no, so you could have a basic
conversation conversation.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Well, I'm not, it'd have to be real basic, but it
would probably lead to a lotless misunderstandings.
So deaf people value the signlanguages because they feel that
it allows them to communicateeffectively and express
themselves fully.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Well, one of the things you notice is typically
when a deaf person signs, theyalso move their lips like
they're saying the words.
If they know what the wordswould be if they've been deaf
since birth, they may not knowwhat the words are.
(05:26):
That allows people in theircommunity who read lips to
augment the signing by thereading of their lips while
they're having a discussion.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
The appreciation of the deaf history and heritage.
Deaf people have had a long anddiverse history that spans
across centuries and continents.
They have contributed tovarious fields of knowledge, art
, science and society.
They have also focusedopposition, discrimination and
(06:02):
marginalism from the hearingmajority.
Deaf people celebrate theirachievements and struggles and
honor their leaders and rolemodels.
They also preserve and pass ontheir stories, legends, jokes,
poems and other forms ofliterature through sign language
.
This has created a sense ofcommunity, and deaf people form
(06:28):
a strong and supportive networkthat transcends geographical
borders.
They often meet at deaf clubs,schools, events and online
platforms to socialize, exchangeinformation and coordinate.
They also are advocates for therights and interests as a
cultured minority.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
The cultured minority thing is this is something that
they've been dealing with forquite some time.
They've made adjustments,they've got their support teams,
their family and their friendsin place, and they're resistant
(07:10):
to trying to adapt new.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Some are.
Some are resistant toadvancements in hearing aids.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Some of this came about because we noticed that
this season of the BritishBaking Show one of the
contestants is deaf and wears acochlear implant.
And wears a cochlear implant.
She has her own sign languageinterpreter as she receives
(07:43):
instructions for the contest.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
While researching the deaf community, we came upon a
definition of the concept of thedeaf gain.
Deaf gain is a positive view ofdeafness that focuses on the
benefits and advantages that adeafness brings to the
individual in society.
It challenges the medical modelof deafness that sees it as a
(08:12):
problem or a deficit that needsto be fixed or cured.
Deaf gain recognizes the uniqueskills, ability and perceptives
of that deaf person that hasdeveloped as a result of their
deafness.
For example, deaf people haveenhanced visual awareness,
(08:33):
spatial awareness, creativity,awareness, creativity and
passion and bilingualism.
That's where it comes in, wherethey resist against cochlear
implants and stuff theadvancements because they feel
that there's nothing wrongThey've achieved things from
(08:54):
being deaf.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Well, it's also very scary if you talk to a deaf
person who suddenly is able tohear with a cochlear implant and
they're overwhelmed by thenoise, in the of our time
distinguishing between what'snoise and what is someone
speaking.
Just say, for example, if yougo to a busy restaurant or club,
it's hard to differentiatebetween the ambient noise you
(09:36):
hear on the inside there andsomeone talking to you, and I
get that I really do.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
So we found while we were researching, that there's
several ways for people to learnASL.
There was several optionsonline.
There's universities, there'sschools.
There's free online courses forbeginners, intermediate and
advanced learners.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Before you go out there and look on the Internet
to learn ESL, I would highlyrecommend you get on a webpage
that is animated and shows youthe motion of the sign, Because
it's not just like pointing atsomething.
(10:25):
It's how you move your handsoften, and they also
differentiate between yourdominant hand and your
non-dominant hand.
Some of these signs are to itthat when you get into spelling
(10:46):
a word, usually that's with onehand.
Typically people spell theirnames that way.
People using sign language knowhow to pronounce it, how to
spell it.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Okay, we've completed .
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I think we've talked a lot about the ASL.
Let's talk about the implants.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Okay, the cochlear implant differs from a hearing
aid in that with the hearing aid, it really just pumps up the
volume of the sound into yourear the sound and helps a person
(11:44):
differentiate between ambientsound and speech directed to
them, so they're not alwaysoverwhelmed by the sound.
However, in some cases they canbe as they can be.
I would invite you, if you havenot had the opportunity to do
so, watch some videos of peoplewho got their cochlear implants
(12:09):
and hear for the first time.
If they're young enough andthey're with their parents,
they're pretty much fearless andyou tell them all of a sudden,
here's something, because it'snew to them.
They'll look up like, okay,what's going on?
(12:29):
And sometimes with a personwho's older and has been living
with their deafness, they justplain get overwhelmed and scared
.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Let me explain a little bit about the surgery.
It is a procedure that isinvolved placing an electronic
device inside the inner ear toimprove hearing.
The surgery is usually doneunder general anesthesia, which
means that they would be asleepand would not feel any pain.
The surgery typically takesabout two hours and here are the
(13:06):
main steps of the surgery.
The surgeon takes a smallincision inside your ear and
removes a small amount of boneto create a pocket for the
implant.
The surgeon inserts the implantunder the skin and attaches it
to the skull bone with screwsand sutures.
The surgeon drills its tiny holein the cochlear which is the
(13:29):
spiral-shaped part of the innerear hence its name that contains
the hearing cells.
The surgeon gently inserts theelectrode array, which is a tiny
wire with tiny electrodes, intothe cochlear.
The electrolysis will stimulatethe hearing nerve and send
(13:50):
sound signals to the brain.
The surgeon tests the implantand electrodes array to make
sure they are working properly,and the surgeon closes the
incision and covers it with aBand-Aid.
After the surgery, you wouldstay in the hospital or clinic
for a few hours or overnight andyou need to follow your
(14:12):
doctor's instructions on how tocare for your wound and prevent
infection on how to care foryour wound and prevent infection
there.
You will usually need toschedule a follow-up for them to
turn and activate your implantback on and adjust it.
You'll also need to undergohearing rehab, which involves
training and therapy to help youlearn how to hear and
(14:32):
understand sounds with yourimplant.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
What a lot of people do and sounds with your implant.
What a lot of people do theyget overwhelmed by the noise of
being able to hear with.
That is, when they get home orget into a relaxation area, an
area where they feel safe, theyturn it off so they can think
(14:59):
more clearly without all the newnoise interfering with their
thought process.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Cochlear implants are the world's most successful
medical prosthesis, in that lessthan 0.2% of the recipients
reject them and do not use themor fail.
Rates needing re-implantment isaround 0.15%.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
And I should also point out that most insurance
covers it yes.
So the price is always going tobe an issue, but it is covered
by insurance To whatever degree.
Your insurance covers thingslike that.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
It should be understood that the cochlear
implants do not restore normalhearing but help people
understand speech.
You require speech therapy andrehab to understand the
interpretation of these sounds.
So it's not something.
If you've lost your hearingfrom birth, that happens
immediately.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
You have to work with it, like Kevin said, yeah, it's
amazing how they, once somebodyhas the implant done, they
start with the implant off andthen slowly turn the volume up
on it so that they can tell bythe person's reaction when
(16:37):
they're hearing the sound.
They just don't get overwhelmedright from the get-go.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
I think we've covered that.
Let's talk aboutover-the-counter ear aids or OTC
.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Okay, as I kind of touched on before, hearing aids
are a little bit different inthat they just take sound and
magnify it into the ear canal.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
So it's for somebody that's hard of hearing, not deaf
.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Usually yes.
I guess, all insurance willhave rules about what equipment
applies to who, and that is alsogoing to be inputted by an
audiologist what you're lookingfor.
(17:40):
Your audiologist should have anidea of the sort of brands that
are available.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
That will help you and it says here that you need
to have a unless you're buyingit strictly over-the-counter for
a more adaptable one or a moreadvanced one, you would need a
prescription and or a hearingtest.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Yeah, that's usually a requirement by the insurance
to cover it.
One thing I should say is thatwith cochlear implants I'm
seeing a lot of ads for adifferent style to what I'm used
to seeing.
Whereas before you couldidentify a cochlear implant by
(18:42):
the apparatus sticking out oftheir skull and the hearing aid
sort of thing in their ear skulland the hair gate sort of thing
in their ear, now it looks likeit's all basically either
well-disguised so you don't seethe extra part, or possibly all
one part.
Again, as technology progressesit will become less invasive.
(19:07):
Unfortunately, that will alsomean initially more expensive
and possibly we'll have a lackof insurance support because
they'll construct too new to benon-experimental.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
So went over a lot of the information we found from
our research.
We did find something fun Wenton YouTube and found Miss Mojo's
and she does a list of the top10 movies or and shows that
represented they foundrepresented the deaf community
(19:54):
very accurately and also wasplayed by a majority of the
actors were deaf themselves.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
That sounds great.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
So number 10, they had Quiet Place and I didn't
watch it because I don't watchhorror shows, but it was about
an alien, that any noise thatwas heard that could tell the
alien where you were, that couldtell the alien where you were.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
And this family.
They were, I guess, the corestars of the movie, or kind of
one step ahead of everybody else, because one of their kids was
deaf and they had learned ASL asa family to get by with just
(20:49):
day-to-day living.
When this unusual circumstancecame out, they just had to rely
on I think it was usually momand dad, I think it was usually
(21:09):
mom and dad soundproof theirliving environment, because
obviously the deaf kid could nottell if noise was being made
and they could communicate witheach other via sign language.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
Number nine is an anime.
It's called General Maya.
Not real familiar with that andI don't think you've seen it
either.
Happy Cab.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
I usually don't watch anime.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Number eight they recognized Grey's Anatomy.
Apparently, one of the seasonsthere was a deaf doctor and they
felt that she was very wellrepresented and was a positive
to the deaf community.
Number seven was Coda and thewhole Ruby.
(21:57):
Ruby's whole family wasactually deaf and played by deaf
actors.
Strictly Dancing there was adeaf dancer it's a British
dancing reality show and sheactually placed very, very high
(22:18):
number one or two in theplacement and she said that she
could hear the vibrations andshe also let her partner lead
her.
Fifth was the Miracle Worker,which I'm sure a lot of us know
about.
That was not played with deafactors.
Patsy Duke was the child thereand it was the story of Helen
(22:45):
Keller and it received an Oscar.
There was a number four isSwitched by Birth.
Number three was the Child ofthe Lesser God.
Two was internals, which is amarvel movie, um, and it was
(23:11):
listed as the first deaf hero.
Um.
Number.
Number one was the silent,silent child and it was a older
movie back in the um 650s and60s, I'm not aware of it.
They also did honorable mentionto the Walking Dead, which the
same actress that played in theInternals as the deaf hero was
also a deaf person in theWalking Dead.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
So make sure you get with us next time, and we'll see
you then, bye, bye, and we'llsee you then, bye.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Bye.
We are always looking toimprove the podcast, so if you
want to hear a specific topicdiscussed, drop us an email.
Our contact information islisted on our website.
It'swwwwhenlifegivesyoulemonsnet.
welcome back listeners.
This is Kevin letting you knowthat this is another classic
episode that we're playingbetween seasons two and three.
Make sure to leave this in yourpodcast player and, if you're
(00:29):
feeling so, obliged.
We really, really thank you forsupporting this show.
Enjoy.
Welcome to our podcast.
When life gives you lemons.
I'm Kevin Henry, and my partnerin crime and wife is Pommy
(00:52):
Henry.
I have a rare disease known asspinal cell umbrella ataxia,
which is a neuromuscular diseasethat's left me with mobility
challenges, as well as with aspeech impediment and
noise-induced anxiety.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Living with these disabilities, we have created
some helpful hints and lifelessons that we'd like to share
and that have made our lifepossible.
We consider ourselvesdisability advocates and intend
to spotlight some disabilityissues and things we find
interesting that we frequentlyencounter when we're out and
about.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Hi, welcome to our podcast.
When Life Gives you LemonsEpisode number six, and today
we're going to be talking aboutpeople with hearing disabilities
.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
As we take a deep dive into the disabilities on
the ADA, which is what Kevin.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
The Americans with Disabilities Act.
Roughly one quarter of ourpopulation is disabled.
Population is disabled and Ikind of think that includes
people with temporary as well aspermanent disabilities.
(02:14):
But I'm just guessing.
The ADA really just kind ofgives examples of what may be
considered disabled and a lot ofthe examples and fixes that
they suggest are for mobility.
Deaf and blindness is notreally addressed as much or as
(02:37):
prominently.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
While researching this, we came upon some very
interesting information.
I was not familiar with that.
There was a death culture.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, death culture is a little bit more permanent
than our mobility disabledcommunity and that everybody is
like different or, as they'remore similar and more defined.
A lot of cases they got out oftheir way to have special
(03:13):
schools for deaf communities.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Well, that's because most deaf people learn the sign
language, which is the ASL orthe BSL if you're in England.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Just for the record the ASL, bsl.
It's just like vocal languagesEverybody has one, that's
different.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Based on the country you mean.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Yeah, Based on the country you mean.
Yeah, if they're from Americaand use ASL, they can have
problems in France because theydon't speak the language.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
It's an L-S-Q in the other European countries.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
I also think that we should support the deaf
community.
Support the deaf community.
It's a little bit much to askthat we all learn ESL or BSL or
what have you, but we should atleast be able to recognize like
if a person is under trust andask for, perhaps, what sort of
(04:24):
assistance they require.
Perhaps also a good idea wouldbe learning the difference
between the signs for yes and no, so you could have a basic
conversation conversation.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Well, I'm not, it'd have to be real basic, but it
would probably lead to a lotless misunderstandings.
So deaf people value the signlanguages because they feel that
it allows them to communicateeffectively and express
themselves fully.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Well, one of the things you notice is typically
when a deaf person signs, theyalso move their lips like
they're saying the words.
If they know what the wordswould be if they've been deaf
since birth, they may not knowwhat the words are.
(05:26):
That allows people in theircommunity who read lips to
augment the signing by thereading of their lips while
they're having a discussion.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
The appreciation of the deaf history and heritage.
Deaf people have had a long anddiverse history that spans
across centuries and continents.
They have contributed tovarious fields of knowledge, art
, science and society.
They have also focusedopposition, discrimination and
(06:02):
marginalism from the hearingmajority.
Deaf people celebrate theirachievements and struggles and
honor their leaders and rolemodels.
They also preserve and pass ontheir stories, legends, jokes,
poems and other forms ofliterature through sign language
.
This has created a sense ofcommunity, and deaf people form
(06:28):
a strong and supportive networkthat transcends geographical
borders.
They often meet at deaf clubs,schools, events and online
platforms to socialize, exchangeinformation and coordinate.
They also are advocates for therights and interests as a
cultured minority.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
The cultured minority thing is this is something that
they've been dealing with forquite some time.
They've made adjustments,they've got their support teams,
their family and their friendsin place, and they're resistant
(07:10):
to trying to adapt new.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Some are.
Some are resistant toadvancements in hearing aids.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Some of this came about because we noticed that
this season of the BritishBaking Show one of the
contestants is deaf and wears acochlear implant.
And wears a cochlear implant.
She has her own sign languageinterpreter as she receives
(07:43):
instructions for the contest.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
While researching the deaf community, we came upon a
definition of the concept of thedeaf gain.
Deaf gain is a positive view ofdeafness that focuses on the
benefits and advantages that adeafness brings to the
individual in society.
It challenges the medical modelof deafness that sees it as a
(08:12):
problem or a deficit that needsto be fixed or cured.
Deaf gain recognizes the uniqueskills, ability and perceptives
of that deaf person that hasdeveloped as a result of their
deafness.
For example, deaf people haveenhanced visual awareness,
(08:33):
spatial awareness, creativity,awareness, creativity and
passion and bilingualism.
That's where it comes in, wherethey resist against cochlear
implants and stuff theadvancements because they feel
that there's nothing wrongThey've achieved things from
(08:54):
being deaf.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Well, it's also very scary if you talk to a deaf
person who suddenly is able tohear with a cochlear implant and
they're overwhelmed by thenoise, in the of our time
distinguishing between what'snoise and what is someone
speaking.
Just say, for example, if yougo to a busy restaurant or club,
it's hard to differentiatebetween the ambient noise you
(09:36):
hear on the inside there andsomeone talking to you, and I
get that I really do.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
So we found while we were researching, that there's
several ways for people to learnASL.
There was several optionsonline.
There's universities, there'sschools.
There's free online courses forbeginners, intermediate and
advanced learners.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Before you go out there and look on the Internet
to learn ESL, I would highlyrecommend you get on a webpage
that is animated and shows youthe motion of the sign, Because
it's not just like pointing atsomething.
(10:25):
It's how you move your handsoften, and they also
differentiate between yourdominant hand and your
non-dominant hand.
Some of these signs are to itthat when you get into spelling
(10:46):
a word, usually that's with onehand.
Typically people spell theirnames that way.
People using sign language knowhow to pronounce it, how to
spell it.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Okay, we've completed .
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I think we've talked a lot about the ASL.
Let's talk about the implants.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Okay, the cochlear implant differs from a hearing
aid in that with the hearing aid, it really just pumps up the
volume of the sound into yourear the sound and helps a person
(11:44):
differentiate between ambientsound and speech directed to
them, so they're not alwaysoverwhelmed by the sound.
However, in some cases they canbe as they can be.
I would invite you, if you havenot had the opportunity to do
so, watch some videos of peoplewho got their cochlear implants
(12:09):
and hear for the first time.
If they're young enough andthey're with their parents,
they're pretty much fearless andyou tell them all of a sudden,
here's something, because it'snew to them.
They'll look up like, okay,what's going on?
(12:29):
And sometimes with a personwho's older and has been living
with their deafness, they justplain get overwhelmed and scared
.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
Let me explain a little bit about the surgery.
It is a procedure that isinvolved placing an electronic
device inside the inner ear toimprove hearing.
The surgery is usually doneunder general anesthesia, which
means that they would be asleepand would not feel any pain.
The surgery typically takesabout two hours and here are the
(13:06):
main steps of the surgery.
The surgeon takes a smallincision inside your ear and
removes a small amount of boneto create a pocket for the
implant.
The surgeon inserts the implantunder the skin and attaches it
to the skull bone with screwsand sutures.
The surgeon drills its tiny holein the cochlear which is the
(13:29):
spiral-shaped part of the innerear hence its name that contains
the hearing cells.
The surgeon gently inserts theelectrode array, which is a tiny
wire with tiny electrodes, intothe cochlear.
The electrolysis will stimulatethe hearing nerve and send
(13:50):
sound signals to the brain.
The surgeon tests the implantand electrodes array to make
sure they are working properly,and the surgeon closes the
incision and covers it with aBand-Aid.
After the surgery, you wouldstay in the hospital or clinic
for a few hours or overnight andyou need to follow your
(14:12):
doctor's instructions on how tocare for your wound and prevent
infection on how to care foryour wound and prevent infection
there.
You will usually need toschedule a follow-up for them to
turn and activate your implantback on and adjust it.
You'll also need to undergohearing rehab, which involves
training and therapy to help youlearn how to hear and
(14:32):
understand sounds with yourimplant.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
What a lot of people do and sounds with your implant.
What a lot of people do theyget overwhelmed by the noise of
being able to hear with.
That is, when they get home orget into a relaxation area, an
area where they feel safe, theyturn it off so they can think
(14:59):
more clearly without all the newnoise interfering with their
thought process.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Cochlear implants are the world's most successful
medical prosthesis, in that lessthan 0.2% of the recipients
reject them and do not use themor fail.
Rates needing re-implantment isaround 0.15%.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
And I should also point out that most insurance
covers it yes.
So the price is always going tobe an issue, but it is covered
by insurance To whatever degree.
Your insurance covers thingslike that.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
It should be understood that the cochlear
implants do not restore normalhearing but help people
understand speech.
You require speech therapy andrehab to understand the
interpretation of these sounds.
So it's not something.
If you've lost your hearingfrom birth, that happens
immediately.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
You have to work with it, like Kevin said, yeah, it's
amazing how they, once somebodyhas the implant done, they
start with the implant off andthen slowly turn the volume up
on it so that they can tell bythe person's reaction when
(16:37):
they're hearing the sound.
They just don't get overwhelmedright from the get-go.
Speaker 3 (16:46):
I think we've covered that.
Let's talk aboutover-the-counter ear aids or OTC
.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Okay, as I kind of touched on before, hearing aids
are a little bit different inthat they just take sound and
magnify it into the ear canal.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
So it's for somebody that's hard of hearing, not deaf
.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Usually yes.
I guess, all insurance willhave rules about what equipment
applies to who, and that is alsogoing to be inputted by an
audiologist what you're lookingfor.
(17:40):
Your audiologist should have anidea of the sort of brands that
are available.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
That will help you and it says here that you need
to have a unless you're buyingit strictly over-the-counter for
a more adaptable one or a moreadvanced one, you would need a
prescription and or a hearingtest.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Yeah, that's usually a requirement by the insurance
to cover it.
One thing I should say is thatwith cochlear implants I'm
seeing a lot of ads for adifferent style to what I'm used
to seeing.
Whereas before you couldidentify a cochlear implant by
(18:42):
the apparatus sticking out oftheir skull and the hearing aid
sort of thing in their ear skulland the hair gate sort of thing
in their ear, now it looks likeit's all basically either
well-disguised so you don't seethe extra part, or possibly all
one part.
Again, as technology progressesit will become less invasive.
(19:07):
Unfortunately, that will alsomean initially more expensive
and possibly we'll have a lackof insurance support because
they'll construct too new to benon-experimental.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
So went over a lot of the information we found from
our research.
We did find something fun Wenton YouTube and found Miss Mojo's
and she does a list of the top10 movies or and shows that
represented they foundrepresented the deaf community
(19:54):
very accurately and also wasplayed by a majority of the
actors were deaf themselves.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
That sounds great.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
So number 10, they had Quiet Place and I didn't
watch it because I don't watchhorror shows, but it was about
an alien, that any noise thatwas heard that could tell the
alien where you were, that couldtell the alien where you were.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
And this family.
They were, I guess, the corestars of the movie, or kind of
one step ahead of everybody else, because one of their kids was
deaf and they had learned ASL asa family to get by with just
(20:49):
day-to-day living.
When this unusual circumstancecame out, they just had to rely
on I think it was usually momand dad, I think it was usually
(21:09):
mom and dad soundproof theirliving environment, because
obviously the deaf kid could nottell if noise was being made
and they could communicate witheach other via sign language.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
Number nine is an anime.
It's called General Maya.
Not real familiar with that andI don't think you've seen it
either.
Happy Cab.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
I usually don't watch anime.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
Number eight they recognized Grey's Anatomy.
Apparently, one of the seasonsthere was a deaf doctor and they
felt that she was very wellrepresented and was a positive
to the deaf community.
Number seven was Coda and thewhole Ruby.
(21:57):
Ruby's whole family wasactually deaf and played by deaf
actors.
Strictly Dancing there was adeaf dancer it's a British
dancing reality show and sheactually placed very, very high
(22:18):
number one or two in theplacement and she said that she
could hear the vibrations andshe also let her partner lead
her.
Fifth was the Miracle Worker,which I'm sure a lot of us know
about.
That was not played with deafactors.
Patsy Duke was the child thereand it was the story of Helen
(22:45):
Keller and it received an Oscar.
There was a number four isSwitched by Birth.
Number three was the Child ofthe Lesser God.
Two was internals, which is amarvel movie, um, and it was
(23:11):
listed as the first deaf hero.
Um.
Number.
Number one was the silent,silent child and it was a older
movie back in the um 650s and60s, I'm not aware of it.
They also did honorable mentionto the Walking Dead, which the
same actress that played in theInternals as the deaf hero was
also a deaf person in theWalking Dead.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
So make sure you get with us next time, and we'll see
you then, bye, bye, and we'llsee you then, bye.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Bye.
We are always looking toimprove the podcast, so if you
want to hear a specific topicdiscussed, drop us an email.
Our contact information islisted on our website.
It'swwwwhenlifegivesyoulemonsnet.
Host
Jetheswaran Gunasekaran
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