Cochlear implants: cultural genocide

I’m nearly deaf. In light of this fact, I am viewed as disabled. Apparently, I have “an ailment.” Others say that deafness is pathological. Thus, my capacity to hear has been medicalized. Apparently, some people believe that the capacity to hear is a health issue.

This belief is what motivates Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews to help fund cochlear implant surgeries for deafened children across Ontario. In fact, I was even offered a set of cochlear implants compliments of Ontario’s tax payers, although I declined the offer.

It might seem odd to you that I denied this offer, but it wouldn’t be so odd for the Deaf. Yes, I said ‘the Deaf.’ My use of a proper noun is intentional, because believe it or not, Deaf culture exists. The Deaf have their own language, theater, art, literature, schools and communities. They are a minority culture and community. And within this community, it’s often understood that deafness is neither a disability nor ailment, nor is it a health issue or pathology. Deafness is simply a different way of being.

But with the advent of cochlear implants, it is believed that many deafened children no longer need to go to Deaf schools or learn ASL, since their cochlear implants allow them to adopt English and to be “mainstreamed” into their local, non-specialized schools. But if such children are mainstreamed enough, then Deaf culture will become extinct, for all cultures depend on its future generations.

And though it is true that we cannot save all cultures from extinction, we should at least not participate in their extinction. Yet, that’s exactly what the Ontario government does: It favors the existence of one culture over another by funding cochlear implants. This point is important: Whether you believe deafness to be a disability or not, Deaf cultures and communities are part of Ontario’s cultural diversity. Thus, Ontario government has no business favoring the Hearing world over them.

And yes, they do favor the Hearing world over the Deaf world. The Ontario government implies that deafness is a medical issue by funding cochlear implants through Ontario’s health funds. Heck, for the Ontario government, deafness is defined as a disability.

Save violence, I can’t think of any treatment much more disfavoring of a culture than to imply that it is a culture of pathology, and that one of its essential and defining characteristics is both an ailment and a disability, and that it is something in need of medical treatment. It’s disfavoring through and through.

And so, if you agree that it is wrong, in principle, for the Ontario government to favor one genuine culture over another, and if you agree, as you should, that there is a genuine Deaf culture, then you should also agree that it is wrong, in principle, for the Ontario government to favor another culture over Deaf culture. Thus, neutrality is imperative.

Consequently, the Ontario government should stop funding cochlear implants or ensure the enrollment of deafened children in Deaf schools.  Otherwise, they’re participating in cultural genocide.

–  M. Jordan