There are one of three things I'm seeing in YouTube comments and elsewhere from people who objected to the whole video taping thing:
1) It's fake. The whole thing was acted out in order to help promote the Esteem implantable hearing aid.
2) The title of the YouTube video was "misleading" and that she didn't really hear her voice for the first time.
3) Her voice sounded too "hearing-like" and could be heard clearly raising questions if her hearing loss is really severe.
First off, check out Sarah Churman's first blog soon after her Esteem was activated describing her awareness about the new sound around here.
Anyway, I'm supposed to hold the remote up to the device implanted in my skull to activate it and I kept moving it which delayed it being turned on. Just about fainted, then 'viola!' it was on. For you mothers out there.......it was like that moment where time stands still as your baby slips into this world.......I just started crying, then crying more because I could hear myself crying. Then laughing, then freaking out over my laugh. That lead to the shakes and partial hyperventillating. Sloan's boisterous laugh and the grins from the docs was the icing on the cake. Then the tapping of the keys as the nurse lady did something on the computer, followed by the remote being set down on the counter.......I could HEAR it!!! Felt like quite the idiot as I left the center (OMG, Sloan just sneezed in the shower, too funny!) grinning ear to ear.........worse case of 'perma-grin' I've ever had! Stepped outside while Sloan was telling me I was whispering, and walked to the car taking it all in. Foot steps, car doors, engine starting, already tired of hearing myself swallow. Lol. I kept asking "Is this normal? Do you hear that? Does that always do that? Is there a cup rattling around in the back of the car? (WHOA). Made my first phone calls. Called Lari and immediately heard the girls in the background. *Let me take this time to apologize to anyone I've ever called while the girls were chattering..............how the heck do you 'normal folks' hear anything with them in the background?!? Lol. She had Oli tell me "I love you Mommy", then Elise said "I ove you".......I started bawling and had to hand the phone off to Sloan. THAT was an awesome moment. Called my Mom and she was like "Are you talking to me now with the new ear?!?" Called my Dad and if I'm not mistaken I think I heard him get a little choked up. Got to Outback to eat with Alexis and was blindsided by the road noise upon stepping out of the car. The place was on a service road and WOW the highway is NOISY! Hurried up and got inside to get relief from the noise. Could actually hear the servers speaking instead of doing my usual routine of smiling politely and praying to God that they haven't said something I've ignored or not answered. When the waitress brought our drinks on the table I asked Sloan "Do you think she'd find it funny if I asked her to stop slamming the cups and plates on the table?" (I of course knew she wasn't actually slamming anything, I just found it amusing) Real shocker was when she brought my salad and I started to eat. WOW was that loud..........eating a crouton is like fireworks going off. I was certain people 5 tables over were thinking 'you hear that cow chewing?' Sloan and Alexis assured me that no one could hear me chew. Sloan got much satisfaction out of the fact that I promptly started eating with my mouth closed. I've been an avid 'smacker' my whole life.........Her blog description of sound around her and her reaction on YouTube video doesn't strike me as a fake video or that Sarah is faking it. What's interesting is that those noise she's hearing are in the higher frequency range.
Secondly, about people who objected to the title of Sarah's YouTube video need to chill since her hearing loss precluded her from hearing anything of clarity and loudness, especially her own voice, despite wearing a regular hearing aid. We don't even know exactly the kind of frequency loss she has (one guy is asking for the whole nine yard requesting more hearing loss details from her). She could have a higher frequency hearing loss which may prevent her from hearing her own voice and would hear better at a lower frequency such as a male's voice, hence her picking up a Texan accent. I don't know but this is not really a case worth arguing over the title of her YouTube video. Some people are just plain picky and overly demanding.
Thirdly, her voice sounded too much like a "hearing person"? So what? She obtained her hearing aid at age two enabling her an early start on acquiring sound around her. Her speech training must've gone extremely well and with family support. Until more details come forth I'm not overly concerned on how well she speaks. What's surprising is to hear from people who are basically saying that it's impossible for a deaf person to speak to clearly and well that one wouldn't tell if the person is deaf. Those people need to take their brains out of the gutter and stop with the stereotyping of what deaf people can or cannot do, especially on the ability to speak well. This is especially true coming from deaf people themselves which serves only an ironic and hypocritical reminder. Yet people continue with this conspiracy theory thinking something's afoot. Practically insinuating that she is not deaf because there is no way she can speak that well. No way!! Well, get over it folks, she is deaf. She speaks very well. And she has a slight Texan accent. And she wears a $30,000 implantable hearing aid. Her life has improved dramatically with the Envoy Esteem implantable hearing aid allowing her to her the sound around her with increased clarity for the first time in her 29 years of her life.
Congratulations, Sarah!
6 comments:
Thank you, Mike for this excellent response to those who are questioning her hearing loss. There has been some discussion of this on my blog and I have linked to your post for those who would doubt her.
Amazing! Her experiences after having the implantable hearing aid activated sound just like mine (pun intended) after having my cochlear implant activated. I was astonished by the amount and volume of sound in every little thing. In the restaurant, I could hear people speaking clear across the room, and I asked my dining companion, "Don't those people know how loud they're talking?"
Some deaf people seem to think that, because they themselves do not speak, it's not possible for any other deaf person to speak either, let alone speak well. There's always some deaf people who will say a deaf person who talks is like a robot who was programmed. they might say a deaf person's speech is not language. I'm profoundly deaf but speak pretty well, most people understand me, and just because of that, I get asked if I'm hearing. whatever.
thanks for sharing, Mike.
Anonymous the First
Mike, I agree: It's legit. There are a few unanswered questions that I'll address in The Hearing Blog
; but in the interim, I'll let Wayne Staab, PhD (whom I've known over 25 years) address them
From Hearing Health Matters at:
http://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingviews/2011/video-of-deaf-woman-goes-viral-is-that-good-or-too-good-to-be-true
blockquote
But one of my fellow editors, Dr. Wayne Staab, sent me a response that I found particularly insightful. I would like to share part of with you.
Wayne, who is editor of the Wayne’s World blog at Hearinghealthmatters.org, pointed out that people outside the hearing care field often use terms more loosely than audiologists do. For example, he said:
“Patients often refer to their hearing loss as deafness, even though it isn’t, by definition. [Patients] who have heard their voices for the first time without the occlusion effect will often say that this is the first time they have heard themselves ‘normally,’ which could be what this is referring to. I have seen people cry when this happens.
“And, it is not uncommon for them to exaggerate, even though unintentionally, because they are hearing something different and are excited about it.
Wayne added: “I found out a long time ago that it is important to listen to the patient, even when we don’t believe or understand fully what is happening. To them, something is happening that is different, and which we may later find to have legitimacy. I know for certain that this is what happened with the first cochlear implants. Most laughed at Dr. John House—then.”
As for Sarah Churman, he commented: “She may be more emotional than someone else, but that happens. The procedure may have turned out better than she had anticipated. Will all patients react this way? I suspect not, just as all of your patients do not cry when you fit them properly (and even in some cases improperly) with traditional amplification.”
/blockquote
Dan Schwartz,
Editor, The Hearing Blog
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Dan--
Thank you for your honesty. In order to defend Miss America, Heather Whitestone, she was born hearing until 18 months old and became sick. She was profound deaf on one ear with 120 db. She went to an Oral school. She got her first Cochlear Implant later in life. She broke the barrier when she was on the Miss America Pageant. At this point, she wore her hearing aids, did not wear the CI during the competition. Heather Whitestone is my hero. So does Helen Keller.
I am defending other profound deaf people who are speaking very well,too.
Since Sarah Churman labeled that she was born deaf, I truly felt very offended to learn that Ellen Degeneres and Envoy donated $30K to Sarah Churman to pay off the loan.
I do feel bad for deaf people who are speaking very well. They have worked very, very hard to reach their goals, so, they want to talk without the assistance. It's their passion. Ellen Degeneres and Envoy need to do their homework!
It was such a full of drama.
White Ghost
Well Dan, it sounds like your friend is just like all other commenters when he wrote deaf is loosely used (is he saying she may not be so deaf as she claim to be?) And like commenters wrote, they think she heard before, just not as good so they doubt this is the first time she heard herself...and it seem he would agree with those commenters.
The only ONE who should be questioning Sarah is Sarah herself. Sarah made the decision/choice. Her experience was shared on you tube. AND! of course the critics came out in full force. "It's fake." "She is to hearing-like." The critics can critize and analyze all they want to, in the long run, this is Sarah's journey. I wish her the best as she continues on her journey.
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