Chapter 42 :)

"Is is possible to have the best of both worlds?"

I do not agree with the FDA's decision to allow parents to implant children with a cochlear-implant without their consent. This is a huge decision that will have a massive impact  on the rest of the child's life. I do not think children as well as parents will have the drive to learn ASL and immerse themselves into Deaf culture of they have a cochlear-implant. I have read about children who are bilingual and the proven benefits this knowledge provides. While I am not completely against cochlear implants, I do believe that children should be taught ASL and given the chance to make their own decision about whether to go through with a cochlear implant or not.
A very surprising yet saddening thing I read in this chapter is that "medical professionals have been advising parents of Deaf  children that they must never, ever use Sign Language." I do not think that it will interfere with a child's speech, if anything I think it will improve it because it gives the child a true language with structure and format that they can understand.
It really scares me that cochlear implants are such a huge procedure to implant and there is not significant longitudinal research done that supports benefits or explains side effects of this major procedure.
If I had a child who was born profoundly deaf I think that I would immediately begin signing to them and let them consider the possibility of an implant much more later in life.