Hello everyone!
My name is Daphnée Ménard.
I wanted to talk to you about cochlear implants, why is that?
Because I have a cochlear implant myself, here it is.
I got this implant when I was 13 months old, Yeah, that's really young, I know! It's a drag!
I want to tell you about of my life …
Having the implant at a very early age, the government thought
Oh, Daphnée can talk and hear! Why not integrate her in a Public “regular” school.
Yes, so I attended public school, walked inside and I was shocked! Why?
Because among hearing kids, I was the only deaf kid. I really felt alone.
Yes I can speak and hear, communication wise everything is great.
But people need to be facing for me to read lips.
If kids move around I miss words and do not understand. When someone talks too fast, I miss a lot of words there too!
I don’t understand everything.
Subsequently, the children knew that I did not understand everything so they took the opportunity to intimidate me.
They talked behind my back, said nasty things. I had many problems and not many friends …
I felt alone. With whom could I talk? Nobody.
I was the only deaf person among this hearing crowd! I did not have any friends …
All day I stayed patient, I listened to my teacher.
When the day was done and I got back home, I cried almost every night, I was not happy...
The government is stupid to think that if an implanted child can talk and communicate, everything will be perfect and work out fine, for sure.
Oh, wait, sorry! That's not right!
Being deaf is like a religion, a deaf needs to be with other deafs, why?
Because we are the same, we think alike and understand each other!
It's like the hearing people, they are the same ! They need to be with others like themselves.
It's like a black person, he feels better with other blacks, it depends on each person however,that's for sure ..
This is my message: if a child is born deaf, keep him deaf! This is this child’s identity and reality.
Later, when he is older, he may choose.
After eight years attending a school for the deaf
Then you can ask him: Do you want cochlear implants or not? He can choose!
If the child answers no, since he grew up in the deaf culture, he felt like the others, it's OK.
He accepts who he is and loves himself the way he is!
But if he prefers hearing, he can get the implant! It will be his choice, he has known deafs and he does not like it, so go ahead!
But at birth, if they implant the child immediately, the child will not know.
Maybe he would prefer to remain deaf, maybe he would prefer the world of the deaf.
Seriously this is what I do not understand. I feel very angry against the government.
I'm sixteen, I have spent nine years trying to integrate with hearing people, I seem to have lost nine years for nothing.
Nine years to not get to know the deaf, I really felt alone.
But why? I did I not know. I was depressed, suffered depressions not knowing why.
I want to change things, so please share my video.
For the hearing, understand that if your child is born deaf, let the child be deaf!
Do not say, what will he grow up to be?
Yes he is deaf, so....
Tell yourself, he’s deaf, cool he will get to know a new culture!
Sign language! Lots of things, it's fun!
Do not say: He is deaf, it is not normal, he should be like the hearing!
Hmmm sorry! That's it.
Thank you for watching my video!
If I had to start my life over, for sure I would not have gotten the cochlear implant.
During the nine years I was with the hearing,
I pretended that I was a hearing person because I was too ashamed
to show that I was really deaf since my entourage were all hearing persons
I felt as if I had to hide the fact that I was deaf.
Luckily, two years ago, I learned about the deaf culture.
Ah seriously ... I'm proud to be deaf now!
To know deaf culture.
Why did I not know this before? That is my story.
Thank you, goodbye!
