Many cochlear implant (CI) users and idealized parents of deaf youngsters with CI use often remind us that they greatly benefit from the use of CI, etc. Good for them!
That is the time for us, deaf community to demand that any deaf individuals with CI to be classifed as non-disabled and will not able to receive any benefits or special tax breaks, etc. Why should the CI users be seen as disabled?
We need the federal legisation to classify the CI users as non-disabled individuals as what the proponents of CI repeatedly tell the parents of deaf youngsters to be fitted with the CI device for leading the normal life.
CI users should not benefit from the disabled status in any way. Should they?
Any deaf children with CI devices should not receive any disability benefits like the monthly SSI checks to fatten the parents of deaf youngsters' bottom line (very common). Nor they could get any kind of benefits from disabled reduced fares for buses and subways, etc.
We need to mobilize the state and federal government and private health insurance providers to classify hearing loss as non-health issue. So those government don't have to pay for the CI surgery which really have nothing to do with the matter of life and death.
Don't let the CI users to walk over us, deaf people and still receive special benefits as disabled individuals.
Correction of hearing loss should lead to the classification of non-disabled status. So the proponents of CI use could not have both ways of exploiting deaf people to fatten their paychecks and ideals for the perfect society.
ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
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Yeah that will be gratefully appreciated to save our TAXPAYERS and Medicare as the same time as we do still pay more increase higher health care insurance!
ReplyDeleteAmen!
I agree!!
ReplyDeleteThe government already does that.
ReplyDeleteThey have ways of assessing disability based on whether you need accommodations and whether you're able to work or not. If you're oral you don't automatically get money.
This blog by RLM further affirms the CI community, parents of newly identified deaf, and some of us in the Deaf community that it is undesirable, uncool, and a burden to society to be moochers of SSI. This blog of RLM makes us the culturally Deaf appear a bunch of invalids.
ReplyDeleteThanks, RLM. Very brilliant of you!
I already know that some of High Wealthy Income family did got SSI and do still play around unless if they are still SSI students while some of us working parents do still work hard in our everyday life! So I cannot blame on RLM.
ReplyDeleteWe get no government support for our daughter with a CI, other than our IEP at school. No SSI, no medicaid, nothing. Nor have we asked for any. My insurance paid for the implant. What it doesn't pay, we do.
ReplyDeleteThe total cost to the school district for her "special accommodations" is the FM system and 1/2 hour a week of vocabulary pre-teaching.
I'm sorry that our decision to have our child implanted sits badly with you. Our goal was and is to help make communication with the hearing world easier for her than it was for Deaf people before implants. Not to snub the Deaf Community then sponge off taxpayers.
Aside from the fact that when the sun sets, CIers are deaf, from the fact that many CIers are culturally deaf, etc, etc, way to go RLM, for attempting a short-sighted and insidious attempt to tear us all asunder from within.
ReplyDeleteDT
Anna S.,
ReplyDeleteI do not intend to portray any culturally deaf populace or any deaf individuals to be the moochers upon the society at large.
I personally believe that many CI users still exploit the so-called disability status to get special benefits or tax breaks, etc.
Nothing to do with culturally deaf or other deaf individuals.
Just target the hyprocrisy of CI proponents for letting the CI users to remain the identity as disabled individuals to reap in special benefits for disabled people.
I see our own existence as deaf people more as cultural and linguistic group, not "disability" group.
Comprendo?
RLM
K.W.,
ReplyDeleteReally about the latest government evaluation to determine whoever really need the disability benefit or not.
That is very news to me now about some oral deaf person do not receive government benefits.
RLM
What a stupid concept!! Are you that mad?? Man, you just belittled the deaf and yourself.
ReplyDeleteHow about cutting off all monetary conpersation for all deaf people? We are just deaf and are physically able to work. So, I stop put my foot in my mouth and just say "thank you" and wow!, how lucky I am.
But I wouldn't know cuz I work my ass off to provide everyting my family needs. And I feel good about it too!
Have to say this post really floored me. The level of hatred you have for people who choose to get CIs for themselves or their child is astounding.
ReplyDeleteSo if a visually impaired person isn't totally blind, they should be denied services as well? What about a person with one leg or one arm? If you're a paraplegic and not a quadriplegic you're not eligible? The list goes on and on. A person with a CI is still deaf. Period.
I agree with KL, there are two cochlear implant users in my family and we don't get any government money, never asked for it, never will. We don't get insurance reimbursement for our batteries or auditory rehabilitation either and they cost a fortune.
It's becoming easier to see who wants to build bridges and who wants to blow them up.
This is a ridiculous idea. Obviously, do not see CI users as deaf individuals and that is where you are wrong. CI users are not hearing. CI's do not miraculous give a deaf person full hearing. They restore some hearing, so at most a CI user is still hard of hearing. Not only that, but some people do not benefit from CI's at all- it all depends on their previous hearing loss.
ReplyDeleteYou are also assuming that deaf or hard of hearing people (non-CI users) do not abuse the SSI system as well. I have seen several HOH people perfectly capable of working a job instead rely on SSI because it gives them more money than they could earn by working, even thought they do not need the money. It is just money for shopping sprees for them.
You need to open your mind a little more to the world.
This is very upseting. A way to divide the Deaf and CI community. I have a college degree and work. I also have bilateal cochlear implants. I have never received any government SSI. I know this is a blog and your opinion, but with it on deafread, it destorys the bridges the community is building.
ReplyDeleteValerie
Nice blog. One of my friends who I met on deafromance.com told me about this. Do you know deafromance ? It's a pretty deaf dating site for friends, love, romance....
ReplyDeleteI agree w/several of the others...don't be so quick to assume all of these kids are on SSI, also if they are, good for them! they are deaf too! Do you honestly think that when a child automatically gets a ci-that their brain just knows what to do w/all that sound? No it takes years of hard work and dedication on the parents and child's part to make it all work successfully. So I'd be careful about criticizing those who are on that plan. Our ins covers as well but think about the single mom who's raising a kid w/a ci-in order for it to work successfully, there has to be routine maintenance, therapy, and homework,to make it all come together. I say the kid might need it, later when it's decided by his/her review they no longer need it to be fully functional in the hearing world...let it be taken away then.
ReplyDelete