Here’s a very good authority site and articles

Oscar, this is all about people’s perception and the things they cherish. It’s no more how you cherish vision in the hope to have full vision someday than people who would want their hearing loss completely restored as well.

Just because a person is a Deaf does not mean he or she would not take a pill to help restore hearing. If a Deaf person does take a pill and have his/her hearing completely restored, will that person still be considered as part of the Deaf culture? Would it be any different from CODAs?

It is really interesting how people refuse to answer whether they’d take a pill that will help restore their vision loss whether it’s mild or severe vision loss.

What bothers me though, (not from you, VA, of course) is this underlying assumption that we have to be disabused of the notion that there is really a Deaf culture, and the medical pathologization view is the right way for everyone.

That some of us think they know what’s the best for everyone else. Who are we to tell other people how to live THEIR lives over something like this? I cannot imagine anything more arrogant than that.

Now, if we can tell the clothing manufacters that one-size-fit-all is false advertising…

One of them said, “But don’t you need to hear?” and I said, “If it’s to listen, then nah.” I could see the light bulb forming over her head with that one.

While I will never deny someone’s right to take that pill of they so choose, or judge them for making such a decision, I do agree that trying to compare deaf to blind is like comparing apples to oranges.

Certainly, there are those individuals who given a choice may indeed choose to take that pill and become hearing, in the same way that there may be blind people who will choose NOT to take that pill and have perfect vision.

There are a lot of factors to be considered in what decision an individual makes…I think a lot of it has to do with onset of the disability (I could see more late-deafened people wanting to swallow that magic pill than I could pre-lingually deaf), how one was brought up (an individual who was mainstreamed in a hearing environment would probably be more interested in such than the person who attended a residential school for the deaf), etc. etc.

Interestingly, I have a friend who was born with a disability by which she has had to use a wheelchair her entire life. Yet when I asked her if she would take such a magic pill, her response was “NO.” She’s happy being who and what she is, and while certainly her life has its challenges, they are just a part of the human being we all know and love as Kimber.

I have another friend who is both legally blind, and also has a spinal deformity which impairs his ability to walk properly, and results in his being several inches shorter than he would be otherwise. When I asked him which disability he would rather get rid of, he said the spinal problem…so that he could run and ride a bike and play football and do all those things. While certainly the vision is an issue, that’s something he’s been able to deal with to the point he doesn’t see it as much of a disability.

I guess whether or not one would take that magic pill all depends on our own individual outlook on the situation.

Yes, I am aware that the majority of hearing people perceive deafness as a tragic loss of one of the senses but that is only because they never erally experienced an awesome culture that Deaf people have.

Therefore, McConnel, are yuo claiming that deafness is a disability/tragedy/whatever you want to call it? That is most point-blank question I will ask you. Now none of us Deaf will judge you if you think that deafness is a tragic thing because that is your journey to make but please allow for the fact that we Deaf simply don’t think our deafness is a tragedy/disability/whatever you call it.

Thank you!

Were you ever forced to take pills or liquid medications when you were sick (don’t read too much into this folks) because they were supposed to help alleviate the symptoms for your own good?