Running head: HEARING THE BIRDS CHIRP 1

I Want to Hear the Birds Chirp

Morgan Whitehurst

Western Carolina University

NSG 310

10-2-2018
HEARING THE BIRDS CHIRP 2

I Want to Hear the Birds Chirp

My name is David and I am from Charlotte, North Carolina. I am twenty-six years old

and deaf. Life is hard not being able to hear the true sounds of laughter or the train rolling

through town. I have been considering getting cochlear implants for quite some time, but my

friends are telling me not to. They think the implants will hinder our friendship and that cochlear

implants are destroying the deaf community. I am currently in preadmission testing having my

pre-procedural work-up done.

Characteristics of Family, Work, and Social Relationships

In the deaf community it is harder to get a job. If we can get a job, it is not usually one

that requires true skill (Kyle and Pullen, 1985). I work at a grocery store in the city and

sometimes I feel alone because I am the only deaf person that works there. Most people do not

even try to talk to me since they do not feel like trying to help me understand. What they are

usually unaware of though, is that I am good at reading lips. For the deaf community, being deaf

is normal. It is our identity. I think this is where my friends get upset with my decision to get

cochlear implants. They feel that I will lose my identity and no longer resonate with them. I do

not see myself cutting ties with the deaf community as I will still be hard of hearing and will

never be fully fixed. My fiancé and I are hoping to have a baby after we get married. Some of

our hearing friends ask if we would be upset if we had a deaf baby, but we would celebrate that,

not grieve over it (Deaf Culture, 2015). I was born deaf and my dad had partial hearing loss in

his left ear. Deafness and loss of hearing can happen for many different reasons. Viruses,

diseases, nerve damage and genetics can play a role in a person becoming deaf (DHHS, 2011). In

social situations it is important that people make eye contact with me so that I know they are

speaking to me, and if they are signing I do not want to miss anything. American Sign Language
HEARING THE BIRDS CHIRP 3

(ASL) is the deaf community’s primary language. Being deaf is not an illness to the deaf

community. It is normal and just a part of who we are. To some people, being deaf is seen as a

flaw, something we must fix. I do not see being deaf as a flaw, but I do want to hear the birds

chirp when the sun comes up. Sometimes, to be considered an actual member of the deaf

community, one must be deaf – not hard of hearing. By getting cochlear implants I will be going

against the views of the deaf community which could ultimately cause me to lose my friends

(Mangan, L., 2014).

Common Views Related to Deaf Health Care and Funding

Many people believe that funding should not be spent on developing cochlear implants

but instead by used on services to support the deaf. The deaf community here in Charlotte are

some of those people that are against cochlear implants. They just do not think that the hearing

loss or deafness should be or needs to be altered. They argue that the money should be spent on

interpreters, special education services and technology that allows deaf people to contribute to

society as much as possible and to help themselves as much as possible.

Sometimes if I go to the doctor or hospital, a physician will leave out information and not

tell me everything. For example, one time the nurse and physician were both in my room talking

to each other and then they walked out without discussing anything with me. This is considered

rude among the deaf community. We expect you to not hide anything – even include information

that is not relevant to our immediate situation (Meador, H. & Zazove, P., 2005).

My friends and I find it hard to trust the hearing population, especially in healthcare. It is

important that a healthcare provider establishes trust with us so that we can believe what they are

saying and know that it is the best thing for our benefit. Some of my deaf friends are reluctant to

go to the physician’s office because they feel the care they receive is inferior to that of a person
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who can hear. There have also been times where it seems that physicians or healthcare

companies are trying to exploit the deaf community for monetary gain (Meador, H. & Zazove, P.

2005).

Along with physicians having a bad reputation with the deaf community, I personally feel

that we as a community are excluded from health surveillances, programs for outreach and

healthcare messages that are portrayed to the mass medias. Because we are excluded from these

things and have this cultural and language barrier, I feel that the deaf community is at a risk for

having poor knowledge of healthcare and limited access to treatments and services that could

prevent further hearing loss or other medical conditions (Pick, 2013).

Implications for Nursing Care

Many healthcare facilities do not have twenty-four-hour services to help deaf patients.

For this reason, nurses are next in line to help the deaf community hear and understand what is

going with their care. While going through the preadmission testing, I have had to work with

some nurses. Some of them do not know how to talk to me or struggle getting my attention. It is

important and acceptable for a nurse to touch my arm or shoulder to get my attention. Once the

nurse has my attention, eye contact becomes important: face me and talk clearly. A lot of people

I encounter think that since I cannot hear, that they should yell so that maybe some sound will

get through. This simply is not correct. Speaking slowly and in a normal tone of voice helps me

understand much better, and sometimes I can even hear male voices better – they tend to be

deeper. While interacting with me, the nurse should pay attention to my ability to hear, or any

patient’s ability to hear, since some patients may just be hard of hearing. I find it useful to read a

nurse’s facial expressions, as that can give many clues as to what the nurse is saying. Sometimes

a nurse can say the same thing to me three times and I just will not get it. Rephrasing what they
HEARING THE BIRDS CHIRP 5

are trying to say can often help (Kemker, 2011). Some nurses get frustrated with me when I

cannot hear what they are saying and will give up trying to communicate with me. This is

upsetting, and I feel that if they were just patient and empathetic, it would work out better for

both of us. If all else fails, write it down. My eyes work just fine.

Feelings Related to Healthcare Experience

Sometimes I feel misunderstood and left out from my healthcare plan. Because I lack the

ability to communicate effectively with those who are not hearing impaired, they often give up

and it feels as though they just discard me. Since my friends are not supportive I feel very

isolated. I wish they could understand why I want the cochlear implants. My fiancé is the only

one who is being supportive of me right now. My parents told me my decision hurt them because

they worked hard to raise me and give me the best education possible. They basically told me I

was ruining all their hard work. Cochlear implants will not make me cut my ties with the deaf

community, they will only enhance my life and give me a new appreciation for the world. I just

hope that after this testing they will say that I am eligible to get the surgery done. After I get

them, maybe I can convince my friends and community that they are worth it. I just want to hear

the birds chirp.

HEARING THE BIRDS CHIRP 6

References

Deaf Culture: Aussie Deaf Kids. (2015, November 12). Retrieved from

http://www.aussiedeafkids.org.au/deaf-culture.html

Department of Health & Human Services. “Deafness - a Range of Causes.” Better Health

Channel, Department of Health & Human Services, 30 June 2011,

www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/deafness-a-range-of-causes.

Kemker, B. E., Goshorn, E. L., Sumrall, V., & Marx, C. G. (2011). A Holistic Approach of Care

for the Hearing Impaired Patient. Online Journal of Health Ethics, 7(2).

http://dx.doi.org/10.18785/ ojhe.0702.01

Kuenburg, A., Fellinger, P., & Fellinger, J. (2015, September 24). Health Care Access Among

Deaf People | The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education | Oxford Academic.

Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jdsde/article/21/1/1/2404217

Kinzig, Ann P., Paul R. Ehrlich, Lee J. Alston, et al. 2013. "Social Norms and Global

Environmental Challenges: The Complex Interaction of Behaviors, Values, and

Policy." BioScience 63:164-175.

Mangan, Laraine. “Social Norms within Deaf Culture (Community, Environment, and

Development: An Undergraduate Research Journal).” Center for Economic and

Community Development (Penn State University), Penn State University, 23 May 2014,

aese.psu.edu/students/research/ced-urj/news/2014/social-norms-within-deaf-culture.

Meador, Helen E., and Philip Zazove. “Helen E. Meador.” The Journal of the American Board of

Family Medicine, Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 1 May 2005,

www.jabfm.org/content/18/3/218.full.
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Pick, Lawrence. “Healthcare Disparities in the Deaf Community.” American Psychological

Association, American Psychological Association, Nov. 2013,

www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/publications/newsletter/2013/11/deaf-

community.aspx.