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How Does the Deaf Community View Amplification Devices?

The deaf community is diverse and holds a variety of opinions on the subject of amplification. Some deaf people accept amplification devices as necessary tools, while others find them controversial and claim they will lead to the demise of American Sign Language (ASL).

  1. Considerations

    • Approximately 1 million deaf people communicate using ASL. The deaf community rejects the medical definition of deafness as a disability and views itself as a cultural and linguistic minority.

    Hearing Aids

    • Hearing aids once represented the notion that deafness needed to be fixed and were used to force deaf people to speak. Today deaf people choose to use hearing aids and also communicate in ASL.

    Cochlear Implants

    • Currently cochlear implants are a bigger controversy. Some deaf people oppose the implants because they involve surgery, usually on small children who have no choice in the matter.

    Future Ramifications

    • Many young children with implants never learn ASL and are therefore unable to interact with deaf peers. This causes fear among deaf community members that ASL will die out.

    Famous Ties

    • The deaf community and deaf users of amplification devices are not mutually exclusive. Some culturally deaf individuals who also use hearing aids include Oscar winner Marlee Matlin and actress Deanne Bray.

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