Disabilities
Perspectives on Parenting©
by Nancy Lambert Davenport
Nancy Davenport's Column:
For Richardson News 5-2-99
Copyright Nancy Lambert Davenport 1999
"Cochlear Implant"
I have heard from various people about cochlear implants to improve hearing, but I have spoken to no one who has experienced the implant themselves. Now there is a readable book available with only the minimum of technical jargon by someone who has had a successful implant. The book is Cochlear Implants: a Handbook by Bonnie Tucker. She tells not only of the her personal experience of having an implant at age 52 but what the implants are, how they work, and for whom they work.
She describes personally her surgical process and the rehabilitation. She does not hold back describing the problems she had and exults in the triumphs. One of the most poignant experiences she described was her discovery of new sounds which we all take for granted. "Did you know," she said, "that blue jeans swish when you walk in them?"
In addition to many valuable insights and information, she summarizes data and information she compiled from 300 questionnaires given to people who have experienced implants. This data gives insight into both successes and failures.
One interesting success was that 81% of the respondents reported their ability to hear on the telephone was improved. One of the complaints across the board was that the wait for equipment was interminable when repairs were necessary.
Beyond the information compiled from the questionnaires, Tucker includes input from clinicians who are foremost in the field of cochlear implants. They discuss expectations and criteria for eligibility for implantation as well as needs for therapy after the implantation.
The book opens with a more technical section by implantation pioneer, Michael Dorman. This information is helpful to the reader who might want to delve more deeply into the how of the experience. Dorman also shares valuable data age groups at the time of having an implant as well as their age when they first experienced their hearing loss or deafness.
It is interesting that Tucker challenges one groups' viewpoint. That viewpoint is that no one should receive cochlear implants. This group, called the Deaf Culture, is the same group that believes no one who is deaf can learn spoken language but should sign exclusively. She points out that thousands of deaf children, including herself, have learned spoken language with or without an implant.
This personal experience from Bonnie Tucker is unique and is a must for those considering a cochlear implant or with a family member considering one.
Thank you to Volta Voices, "Book Corner" by Pauline Newton, January 1999.
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EMAIL: ndavenport@ticnet.com
URL: http://www.nancyldavenport.com