Reopening A Doorway To Sound

Sigrid Cerf became deaf at the age of three, after suffering from spinal meningitis. As a deaf person, Cerf remembers feeling left out, very insecure, and "like a second-class citizen." She learned to read lips and to speak, but it wasn't until two years ago, when she turned 53, that she was able to hear again with the help of a device called a cochlear implant.

But there is a controversy over the device. To advocates, the cochlear implant offers the profoundly deaf the opportunity to hear again - or in the case of children, to hear for the first time. To opponents, the device fixes something that doesn't need to be fixed. Many in the deaf community feel that parents should make the choice to get a CI for their children; alternatively, some argue that by doing so parents actually preclude a child from being part of a rich culture.

CBS.com took a look at how CIs have affected the lives of deaf adults, parents of deaf children, and those who are a part of the deaf community.


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Table of Contents

How The Implants Work

Implant Patients

The Controversy

More Information Online


By CBS.com Producer Benita Green. Graphic Design by Sasha Burcop