Posted on 08/12/2013 7:26:35 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
This is an increasing trend. There are children born to deaf parents -- the parents making certain that their children WILL be deaf, through genetic testing. And then refusing operations that would make their children hearing, claiming that "deaf" is not a handicap, but a culture, and the child should be allowed in the culture.
Except, of course, when it comes to ADA, then they are all over the "disability" for which they expect the world to adapt to their culture, and other people to spend their own money to make it easier for their "non-disabled" disabled kids to exist.
I expect fat people to make the same claim eventually, along with the blind, and others with what will be curable ailments.
And of course, we have gotten to where in some places it is ILLEGAL to try to cure people of some abnormalities, like a tendency to same-sex attraction, or the desire to wear women's clothing.
Interestingly, the show "House" dealt with this ethical question more than once, when House would determine how to cure something that people didn't even know was a problem, and then they'd debate whether changing someone's basic personality was a good thing. In one case, curing a brain defect made someone mean I believe, who used to always be happy.
If this can be cured in the womb instead of aborting the innocent child then GREAT!
I just hope it doesn’t end up with morons like the deaf people out there that won’t pursue cochlear implants for their deaf children because they see it as “selling out” as they revel in their disability.
I remember when the deaf actress Marlee Matlin, who always used sign language and an interpreter, spoke a few words when accepting an award. The deaf community was FURIOUS with her! There was also a deaf Miss America who spoke very well, and she was hated and rejected by much of the deaf community. I guess you can only use sign language in order to be accepted by them. I’ve heard it said that you have to be born deaf, to deaf parents, and attend a deaf school where only sign language is taught, in order to be REALLY accepted.
Modern Day Bullshit Self Destuctive Tribalism......
I could rant for hours on this subject.
Because we live in a time where every mental illness must be affirmed, those who live in a fantasy land must be told that the fantasy land is reality. Anything else is “hate”.
You are so right about Gaulledet College.
There was a huge student protest at Gaulladet in 1988 when the students decided that a man who could hear was about to become their college president. Never mind that the 7 previous presidents were not deaf.
The students got their way. The newly current president of the college is also deaf.
A man or woman that can hear need no longer apply for the position. A new right has been won. A new culture created.
This is tne New Enlightenment of narrowing all possibilities. Expertise and sophistry is knowing more and more about less and less.
It was a “lady” (and I use that in a euphemistic sense) in my church -— yes, my very own parish! -—who has “issues” (another one from the handy euphemism thesaurus) with the church on many questions regarding sex & gender.
It was a “lady” (and I use that in a euphemistic sense) in my church -— yes, my very own parish! -—who has “issues” (another one from the handy euphemism thesaurus) with the church on many questions regarding sex & gender.
If I could decode better what I already hear, with frequencies missing, it would help a LOT.
For pretty much the same reasons that black "community leaders" don't want black people to go mainstream.
It would give up their power to be advocates for the people they are holding down through their advocacy. Even worse, it could mean a loss of government checks.
Another family friend makes his living as a sign language interpreter. Sign language was one of the skills he acquired when he went into social work to help hearing impaired people get into the mainstream. Sadly, it is the only skill he uses anymore because, again, the "community leaders" don't want them in the mainstream. Thankfully, a lot of them buck the leaders and get there anyway. But a lot more don't.
My friend's most common interpreting jobs are for the courts.
Oh, I'm sure you're right. But part of it may be that many in the deaf community simply don't know (aren't taught) that other tools are available. The existence of software that they can use to teach themselves lets them bypass their "leader/opinionmaker" group. "I" (and I think many of "them") can certainly understand the superior effectiveness of lip reading over signing for "accessing" a larger fraction of the population.
To be able to improve the quality of life for Downs children and adults would be a great gift. I suspect that if the treatment were very successful, more Downs adults would go on to have children of their own, perhaps resulting in an increasing rate of “silent Downs Syndrome” in the population.
taking care of our elders offers the identical lessons.
Precisely my thought. It ties in with all the new research about the "plasticity" of the human brain, and the ability to learn skills that were thought to be not possible of change.
There have been only a few instances of babies being begotten by Down syndrome men, but the overall fertility of the men is unknown. It is thought that they have significantly lower fertility than non-Down males.
If they're fertile and want kids --- and have reasonable prospects of being able to care for them, presumably with help --- then let them go for it. It would involve ongoing support from caregivers I'm sure, but if that's in place, seems OK to me.
OK, I was a little afraid it was Don-o who had issued the rejoinder but I’m relieved it wasn’t him.
I remember reading something similar to this, regarding deaf people. Some deaf people and their advocates were hysterically opposed to having the opportunity to hear with those cochlear(sp) implants. It was like the disability made them feel special or something or gave them some elevated victim status that they were unwilling to let go of. Makes me wonder what all these fundraising nonprofits would do if cures for cancer and other diseases were found.
Hardly ever. ;o)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.