The previous page, we explored the Deaf perspective of the IHP. On this page we will explore the view and opinions from Non- Deaf individuals. This information was also taken from the book " For Hearing people only" and a presentation done by a pathologist at George Brown College
1. If you want your child to speak don't use sign language. 2. The Infant Hearing program is great because we can detect deafness in a child in the earlier stages of life. 3. Once a child is diagnosed deaf, we can go ahead and start the process for hearing aids, cohclear implants or speech therapy. 4. Based on my own survey of a small group of 20 hearing mothers who have had no interaction with Deaf individuals most stated, "Who doesn't want their child to speak?" 5. Children will be "normal" if they speak. 6. Children will excel academically if they speak. 7. Newly- diagnosed children are a prime "sucker market" for cochlear implants. Now who is responsible for these implants? Hearing Individuals! 8. Speech and Speech reading is the more effective means of communication. 9. "Hearing loss is the number one birth defect in the world." - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3jmo14zZDo
Here is an examples of the negative attitudes that parents and audiological/medical individuals have towards the Deaf community. Most hearing parents are not given ALL the options for their child and are often pressured to choose one The following passage is from a Reader's Digest article. Keep in mind that Reader's Digest is a high known and popular magazine. The passage you are about to read in about the the famous Deaf baseball player Curt Pride and the decision his parents chose.
" With an irreversible 95-percent hearing loss, Curt attended special classes in his Washington, D.C, suburb. But the studious boy never learned sign language. Instead, Sallie and John chose a program to help their read lips. They were aware that some children who used sign language never learn to speak because they could fall back on signing when they were misunderstood" - Micheal Bowker, " The Loudest Cheer", Reader's Digest, May 1994