Between Sound & Silence: How Technology is Changing Deafness | Op-Docs

For more than a generation now, cochlear implants have, for some, been transforming the experience of deafness. In this week’s Op-Doc, “Between Sound and Silence,” director Irene Taylor Brodsky delves into conversation with a cohort of people living that transformation.

Herself the child of deaf parents and the mother of a deaf son, Brodsky delves into a complex realm where deafness and hearing, rather than absolute states, are territories of human experience to be bridged and explored.

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[JoshMcKenna]

"We're so afraid of being rude that we make these people invisible" WOW, this quote!

[earutybe]

As an audiology student these testimonials are the reason I am so motivated to get my degree. Just to be able to share this experiences with patients and provide the aid they need.

[supernick]

I have tears in my eyes watching this video because my lil girl has this issue and she will probably have to get the implant soon and I can just see from these beautiful testimonies how wonderful they turned out to be all of them! I can’t wait to hear my lil girl speak ❤️

[datalyzetelevision]

My aunty and cousin have the same hearing problem and they are congenital deaf, recently my niece who is 15 month older, medical test disclosed that she has cochlear dysfunction and we cannot believe right now we are waiting to take another test that is she really can't hear. Anyway i am really disappointed and took decision that i will devote myself to the development of a device which will allow them to hear sound as we hear and will try to make it as cheaper as possible so that anybody can bear the cost of it. As an Electronics and Telecommunication engineer, I at least can give a try, pray for me so that i can devote myself to this kind of activity.

[MikeTrieu]

When that guy said when they turned on his cochlear implant for the first time it was like "life being shocked back into you", that really hit me emotionally. Just wow.

[PK-zwuq]

Had tears in my eyes.
My brother was hard of hearing, almost totally deaf in one ear. He wore the double hearing aid box and a youngster 43 years ago. I wish he could have had this.
Now my 7 year old granddaughter is completely deaf because of meningitis. She just had the surgery last week. I pray she is able to overcome and shine like all these folks did.

[deadly]

As some one who grew up as hearing impaired, I cant image what its like to be deaf.

Much respect and appreciation for these people for sharing there storing.

[sidecars]

My 35 year old son is going deaf, with his first hearing aids at the age of 2. What a superb video to help us understand some of the pathways that may be ahead for him. Thank you for this wonderful story, and thanks to those who shared their story.

[andi.lexzara]

Just gonna put this out here since the video kinda failed to 😊...

Deaf people, who are culturally Deaf (they label themselves that as opposed to medically deaf) have no issue with being deaf (as in not being able to hear). They EMBRACE it! Being apart of that world invites you to an incredibly beautiful language (ASL, in particular) and a community that UNDERSTANDS a common struggle.

I really would liked to have seen someone in this video that actually used a signed language as well. But that one lady towards the beginning that called herself "Deaf"... she was the best! 🖤🤟🏾

[Nessaniii]

I'm really interested whether any of them know sign language or whether they only got oral education. I study sign language (in Germany) and Cochlear Implants are still quite the controversial topic in the deaf community here. If I understood correctly most of them got their implants later in life, after the crucial speech development (up to age 5) so I'm curios if they really only were taught English instead of ASL in school

[margaretdasilva]

I really enjoyed hearing what these people had to say about their lives. Cheers to them all!

[craigfowler]

Fascinating insight to a world I knew nothing about.

[wyatttomlinson]

As someone with low vision and classified as legally blind with a visual acuity of 20/200, this video was absolutely phenomenal for me. Why? I'm trying to learn about other disabilities and assistive technology for those, how other disabilities impact work, life, etc., and I actually found commonalities! People who are deaf have cochlear implants, and I have something called the OrCam MyEye. It runs out of battery sometimes or doesn't read everything correctly, and this is the same with the apps on my phone--even they don't read everything correctly, and the OrCam MyEye stands out sometimes. Yet, like with cochlear implants, the OrCam and all the technology I have at my disposal give me the ability to live a full life. And as one of the people in the video said, it's neat having all this technology one moment and you can turn it off at any time. I love that. Also, some people here talked about intimacy and love. As someone who is figuring that out in the context of the broader world, I relate so much to that. Similarly, the experiences about finding a job are something I can implicitly relate to--I have the same fear of not being able to find a job and do what I love doing. And yet, all these experiences shown here were experienced in the context of deafness--something different and outside my experience. In short, I learned so much about simultaneous commonalities and differences.
Wow. That is all I have to say.

[Neomet]

To show how media can keep on giving, even three years after being posted, my grandson just received his cochlear implant today. This could not have come into my life at a better time. Thank you to every single person in this video and those who produced it.

[ayaa.]

Deafness is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone should know sign language.

[handlemonium]

Love all the vulnerability shown here!

I was diagnosed with Asperger's in middle school and it's helped me understand and accept the challenges I face and differences in decision making & social interaction.

Hearing from people like you helps me keep owning who I am :D

[MissingSirius]

I wish that this had been a more balanced perspective. I know someone who had to get the surgery twice only for the implant to malfunction a third time. He can only keep it on for a few hours a day because it makes him physically ill. I know someone for whom it didn't work well, who is now trying to learn sign language as an adult. I know someone who refuses to speak even though she is a "success" and only signs now. Those stories are no less valid.

[Deathmastertx]

I'm not normally such a big fan of documentaries which consist of just people talking but this was great. It just became so real and personal.

[dalehenry]

I can relate to the part about deaf speech, when ever hearings or cochlear processor is taken off it affects your speech quickly.

For 3 years prior to getting implanted, I couldn’t hear much at all and my speech was terrible. People had so much trouble understanding me but as soon as my processor was turned on people noticed my speech improved.

I could tell the pretty girl who got emotional has deaf speech, but the others not so much.

All of the people on here presented well and spoke well too, it’s hard to describe what we can hear and how it sounds.

As a born deaf person, I can relate to their stories.

[kidrhl]

How i wish we have much money for this hearing transplant. I am deaf since i was 9 years old, i think. For my entire life i am victim of bullying, non stop. And now i survived and got my college degree of BS IT it is still very hard for my to find a job. 🥺