For this week I prepared my interview questions for my field research. It was hard for me to come up with questions that didn't come off as one sided or too invasive but I did a little research on typical questions people have regarding cochlear implants. Some of the questions were as follows:
1. Did you regret your decision?
2. Do you suffer from constant head aches? Are you in pain now?
3. How long was the recovery process?
4. Why didn't you just learn sign language and participate in the Deaf community?
5. Did the doctors' give you all of your options upfront?
6. Are you happy with the level of hearing you have now?
7. Did it really improve your hearing that much?
8. Do you feel like an outsider still in a hearing world?
These questions were great if you were asking an adult about their experiences but what about a child? One of my field research studies is about a young boy, Miller. His mother has been e-mailing with me.
I have been talking a lot with Jessica (the mother of a young boy who has a cochlear implant). She is so excited to share her experiences and her son's with other people. I told her about my current knowledge and what I have learned so far about cochlear implants, I also explained to her that previous to all my research I was only exposed to one perspective on the topic... The Deaf community is something I cherish and their opinions mean the world to me but I have to admit that I am slightly biased when it comes to the topic of cochlear implants.
I told Jessica that I am hoping after interviewing her and learning about her experiences along with her son's that I will be able to have an open mind about cochlear implants and maybe even realize that there is a community that exists for children like her son.
Jessica has a lot of information that she is going to share that is backed by scientific studies and evidence based medicine. She also referred me to her friend, Ronda Rufsvold. She is graduating with her PhD in sensory impairment from the Teachers College at Columbia University. She is a teacher in the front lines teaching children with hearing aids and cochlear implants and it will be very interesting to hear her perspective.
Jessica's son, Miller was aided at 11 weeks of age and when his hearing impairment progressed to a profound hearing loss they implanted him at age 4. Jessica sent me a link to a video of her son Miller answering her on a few questions. In the video there is some background noise but Miller was still able to hear his mother's voice clearly. It's a very sweet and encouraging video, I'm happy to share it with you.
http://sakowitz.com/miller-interview
Some questions I plan on asking Jessica and her son are as follows:
For Jessica:
1. As a parent do you get a lot of negative or positive attention when talking about implanting your son?
2. Were you concerned about his age when you implanted him at 4 years old?
3. When you enrolled him in the school with other children that have hearing losses and cochlear implants did you see him thrive at school?
4. Do you talk to your son about the options or does he only know the world as one with a cochlear implant?
For Miller:
1. Do you have a lot of friends with cochlear implants?
2. Do you like your cochlear implant?
3. Can you remember when you couldn't hear as well?
4. Are you happy that you can hear with your cochlear implant?
I'm hoping that these questions will clear up any misconceptions people have about children and cochlear implants. Miller seems to be very aware according to his mother and is very open to sharing his emotions and opinions.
The other field research I am working on is with an elderly woman who was implanted much later in life. She is going to be interviewed by a friend of mine in person and then they will send me her responses via e-mail. I am still waiting to hear back from them but I am super excited to share her perspective soon!
Bianca E. Stevens
Monday, October 19, 2015
Sunday, October 11, 2015
The Interview
I have found two people with drastically different perspectives on cochlear implants who are willing to be asked questions about their personal experiences.
I decided I would like to personally ask people questions about their lives and experience with cochlear implants and compare the results that I get. In order to do this I needed at least two people preferably with different opinions and ideas about cochlear implants. I posted a Facebook status asking people to e-mail me if they wanted to participate. I did not expect the results that I got so quickly.
In one day I had two responses that I will be using. The first response was from a family member of mine, Molly Hosseini. She was able to connect me with a woman who had her 4 year old son implanted with a cochlear implant. Her son is now 7 years old and I will be asking her questions via e-mail about her experience with the whole process and how it has affected her son's life. Overall, she has told me that her experience was positive. I will also be asking her questions regarding how other people treated her as a parent, a parent who was willing to take the risk of implanting her 4 year old child. There are a lot of controversial opinions on this topic so this would be the perfect opportunity to get her side of the story. Due to her son being so young I wonder if I am able to ask him questions directly through e-mail and have his mother type his answers, word for word. I will ask his mother if she would be willing to allow him to participate in giving his own opinion. If she is okay with this, I might ask him questions like how he feels with a cochlear implant in school? Is it helpful in his opinion? Do other children understand what a cochlear implant is, or do you get a lot of questions?
This little boy is friends with my younger cousin, Ronin. I was thinking to perhaps ask Ronin questions about his friend. Do you know your friend has a cochlear implant? Does he play with you the same as other children? Are you in classes together? This would be a great outside perspective from another child the same age as the other boy. A lot of parent's are worried to have their children implanted for safety risks but there's also the risk that they may not have many friends. They think that the implant will subject them to rejection. Is that true?
The other participant is a 93 year old grandmother with a very negative perspective on cochlear implants. She was referred to me by a woman I used to work for. This will be interesting because she is much older then the other participant and must have a very different story to tell. Cochlear implants have not been around for 93 years so she must have been implanted later in her life. I will be asking her questions about her life before her implant in comparison to now. Why was her experience a negative one? Was the cochlear implant what she expected? Does she regret her decision?
Also to consider, if this woman lost her hearing later in life and maybe wasn't born Deaf or hard of hearing this could effect her opinion. Many people say that if you lose your hearing later in life that you will never be able to truly appreciate the Deaf community and embrace your "loss." Is that why this woman perhaps chose to get a cochlear implant? Did she not want to be part of a Deaf community or consider herself hard of hearing?
These two separate participants are a great way to get different perspectives and ideas on the controversial topic of cochlear implants. I am hoping that in result of all of this that people will read their answers and open their minds to different ideas and opinions.
I am so excited to conduct these interviews and share the results that I get. Studying cochlear implants so far has taught me so much about how we perceive the whole topic and why we need to open up our minds to other ideas. Not everyone is the same. Not one person has the same exact experience as another.
There are no right or wrong answers, just simply opinions.
-Bianca E. Stevens
I decided I would like to personally ask people questions about their lives and experience with cochlear implants and compare the results that I get. In order to do this I needed at least two people preferably with different opinions and ideas about cochlear implants. I posted a Facebook status asking people to e-mail me if they wanted to participate. I did not expect the results that I got so quickly.
In one day I had two responses that I will be using. The first response was from a family member of mine, Molly Hosseini. She was able to connect me with a woman who had her 4 year old son implanted with a cochlear implant. Her son is now 7 years old and I will be asking her questions via e-mail about her experience with the whole process and how it has affected her son's life. Overall, she has told me that her experience was positive. I will also be asking her questions regarding how other people treated her as a parent, a parent who was willing to take the risk of implanting her 4 year old child. There are a lot of controversial opinions on this topic so this would be the perfect opportunity to get her side of the story. Due to her son being so young I wonder if I am able to ask him questions directly through e-mail and have his mother type his answers, word for word. I will ask his mother if she would be willing to allow him to participate in giving his own opinion. If she is okay with this, I might ask him questions like how he feels with a cochlear implant in school? Is it helpful in his opinion? Do other children understand what a cochlear implant is, or do you get a lot of questions?
This little boy is friends with my younger cousin, Ronin. I was thinking to perhaps ask Ronin questions about his friend. Do you know your friend has a cochlear implant? Does he play with you the same as other children? Are you in classes together? This would be a great outside perspective from another child the same age as the other boy. A lot of parent's are worried to have their children implanted for safety risks but there's also the risk that they may not have many friends. They think that the implant will subject them to rejection. Is that true?
The other participant is a 93 year old grandmother with a very negative perspective on cochlear implants. She was referred to me by a woman I used to work for. This will be interesting because she is much older then the other participant and must have a very different story to tell. Cochlear implants have not been around for 93 years so she must have been implanted later in her life. I will be asking her questions about her life before her implant in comparison to now. Why was her experience a negative one? Was the cochlear implant what she expected? Does she regret her decision?
Also to consider, if this woman lost her hearing later in life and maybe wasn't born Deaf or hard of hearing this could effect her opinion. Many people say that if you lose your hearing later in life that you will never be able to truly appreciate the Deaf community and embrace your "loss." Is that why this woman perhaps chose to get a cochlear implant? Did she not want to be part of a Deaf community or consider herself hard of hearing?
These two separate participants are a great way to get different perspectives and ideas on the controversial topic of cochlear implants. I am hoping that in result of all of this that people will read their answers and open their minds to different ideas and opinions.
I am so excited to conduct these interviews and share the results that I get. Studying cochlear implants so far has taught me so much about how we perceive the whole topic and why we need to open up our minds to other ideas. Not everyone is the same. Not one person has the same exact experience as another.
There are no right or wrong answers, just simply opinions.
-Bianca E. Stevens
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Deaf for a day
August of 2014 John Barrowman decided to do what many people studying Deaf culture do. He decided to be "Deaf" for a day.
Deaf for a day is when a person who has the ability to hear pretends to be Deaf for a day. They might wear ear buds, or in John's case he had silicone implants made by an audiologist. The silicone made it nearly impossible for him to hear. The entire day was to be spent wearing those silicone ear buds so that he could get the full experience of what it is like to be Deaf.
Why might someone want to take part in this experience? Well, for most people studying Deaf culture we cannot fully understand what they go through every day unless we at least try it for one day. In John's interest he is an ambassador for hearing dogs and wanted to experience using one.
A hearing dog is trained to assist the Deaf and hard of hearing. Hearing dogs learn to alert a Deaf person when there is an emergency, such as a fire. When the dog hears the alarm they will alert the Deaf person by lying on their belly. The dog's can also wake up the owner, alert when the oven/stove goes off, and if someone is knocking on the door. Along with assisting the owner with alerts the dog also offers itself as an emotional companion. Deaf people are often shut out by the public and ignored and need a companion to enjoy throughout the day.
John Barrowman wrote a blog, goo.gl/kmc7BB.
In the beginning of his blog he states, "I could no longer hear the sound of busy London traffic, footsteps walking behind me or the buzz of conversation around me. I was anxious just crossing the road. This was before John was paired with his hearing dog. He would most likely still have anxiety about crossing the road as most Deaf people do but the dog would add some assurance and confidence to these types of activities.
John also said, "But until I experienced it for myself, I hadn't realized the huge impact it has on everyday things we take for granted, such as buying a coffee, and how it makes other people treat you differently." Almost all American Sign Language Interpreter majors have experienced Deaf for a day at some point in there studies. I am included in this majority. For my Deaf culture class the students were all required to be Deaf for a day and write about our experiences. I can relate to John's quote here because during my experience I attempted to apply for a job at a fast food chain. I was treated as if I did not exist, they absolutely did not want to be "bothered" with a Deaf employee and had no intention of giving me an interview. I was "brushed" off immediately by a manager and felt so defeated.
John also talks about his experience as being frustrating for other people around him, that they had no patience. Several times throughout the day he asked people to repeat things that they said so he could try and read their lips but most people would get frustrated and do the tasks themselves instead of allowing John to do them. John said he felt like the power was taken away from him, he felt defeated.
At the end of John's blog he states, "Hearing loss is on the rise and hearing dogs change the lives of deaf people." This is the perfect example of John's perspective after his Deaf for a day experience. His perspective remains that Deaf people have a hearing "loss." He didn't say that he thinks Deaf people should get cochlear implants or that they should attempt to gain hearing back but he used the term "loss."
Many Deaf people see this term as insulting as it implies that they have lost something. John may not mean what he said to be an insult or to even say that Deaf people have in fact lost something but maybe this is his way of saying that being Deaf for a day was difficult and he acknowledges that. It's all about perspective.
So the question remains, is it a hearing loss or a Deaf gain?
Deaf for a day is when a person who has the ability to hear pretends to be Deaf for a day. They might wear ear buds, or in John's case he had silicone implants made by an audiologist. The silicone made it nearly impossible for him to hear. The entire day was to be spent wearing those silicone ear buds so that he could get the full experience of what it is like to be Deaf.
Why might someone want to take part in this experience? Well, for most people studying Deaf culture we cannot fully understand what they go through every day unless we at least try it for one day. In John's interest he is an ambassador for hearing dogs and wanted to experience using one.
A hearing dog is trained to assist the Deaf and hard of hearing. Hearing dogs learn to alert a Deaf person when there is an emergency, such as a fire. When the dog hears the alarm they will alert the Deaf person by lying on their belly. The dog's can also wake up the owner, alert when the oven/stove goes off, and if someone is knocking on the door. Along with assisting the owner with alerts the dog also offers itself as an emotional companion. Deaf people are often shut out by the public and ignored and need a companion to enjoy throughout the day.
John Barrowman wrote a blog, goo.gl/kmc7BB.
In the beginning of his blog he states, "I could no longer hear the sound of busy London traffic, footsteps walking behind me or the buzz of conversation around me. I was anxious just crossing the road. This was before John was paired with his hearing dog. He would most likely still have anxiety about crossing the road as most Deaf people do but the dog would add some assurance and confidence to these types of activities.
John also said, "But until I experienced it for myself, I hadn't realized the huge impact it has on everyday things we take for granted, such as buying a coffee, and how it makes other people treat you differently." Almost all American Sign Language Interpreter majors have experienced Deaf for a day at some point in there studies. I am included in this majority. For my Deaf culture class the students were all required to be Deaf for a day and write about our experiences. I can relate to John's quote here because during my experience I attempted to apply for a job at a fast food chain. I was treated as if I did not exist, they absolutely did not want to be "bothered" with a Deaf employee and had no intention of giving me an interview. I was "brushed" off immediately by a manager and felt so defeated.
John also talks about his experience as being frustrating for other people around him, that they had no patience. Several times throughout the day he asked people to repeat things that they said so he could try and read their lips but most people would get frustrated and do the tasks themselves instead of allowing John to do them. John said he felt like the power was taken away from him, he felt defeated.
At the end of John's blog he states, "Hearing loss is on the rise and hearing dogs change the lives of deaf people." This is the perfect example of John's perspective after his Deaf for a day experience. His perspective remains that Deaf people have a hearing "loss." He didn't say that he thinks Deaf people should get cochlear implants or that they should attempt to gain hearing back but he used the term "loss."
Many Deaf people see this term as insulting as it implies that they have lost something. John may not mean what he said to be an insult or to even say that Deaf people have in fact lost something but maybe this is his way of saying that being Deaf for a day was difficult and he acknowledges that. It's all about perspective.
So the question remains, is it a hearing loss or a Deaf gain?
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