https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqj2C4S-FI4&list=UUcY3go7tTUJuZz6b1ijVLVw
setting: Ruthie Jordan
standing on the sidewalk in front of the Cochlear America building, she
is
wearing a blue AFA shirt, glasses and a black hat. Back of the blue AFA
shirt has a painting of George W. Veditz signing love/cherish with the
sign for STAND as a frame around George and text at top STAND FOR
JUSTICE. The painting of Veditz and the hand stand is by Nancy Rourke.
T-shirts courtesy of Shawn Elfink)
Today is Memorial Day, the day we honor those who fought and
still fight to ensure our Human Rights.
We remember all who suffered physical, emotional and mental trauma and
others who paid the ultimate price. In
conjunction with honoring our military, AFA has come to stand, honor, and
remember our Deaf children and their parents who have been lied to and taken
advantage of by the medical system and cochlear implant companies. We honor these Deaf children who have been
robbed of their human rights, their identity, language, culture, and
education. We remember those who have
struggled through the frustrations of educational systems that continually
focus on speech and listening while oppressing, denying and isolating them.
The biggest offender in the spider web of systems is the cochlear
implant (CI) industry who continues to profit from Deaf children. Lately, there has been much discussion about
the 12 Deaf children who died from cochlear implant surgeries in the 1980’s. (see interview with Dr. Laura-Ann Petitto,
Cognitive Neuroscientist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gU7a1EH2jo&feature=youtu.be). The facts of these deaths were swept under
the rug and ignored by cochlear implant companies who continued encouraging the
medical community to implant children and the surgeries have become an
epidemic.
On this day, many are communing with family, BBQ’ing,
sharing stories and enjoying each other’s company while their
Deaf family members are left out of
conversations, forced to focus on the lips of others and try to follow what is
happening around them. We are asking all members of our Community (Deaf,
hearing, hard-of-hearing, parents, cochlear implant survivors, interpreters…)
to STAND with us and return the rights of identity, language, culture and
education to our Deaf children. Stop
Audism.
AFA wants to emphasize, we in no way blame or demean parents of
Deaf children for choosing a CI for their child, we recognize the enormity of
the medical system and that it is saturated with audism. We hold the cochlear implant companies
(Advanced Bionics, Cochlear America, and Med-El) accountable for the damage
they cause by incentivizing their products and disseminating false, prejudicial,
and disparaging information. Together,
let us reclaim our roots by working to return ASL, culture, identity and education to our Deaf
children, they are our future. LET
FREEDOM ROLL!
(description: camera is panning around the Cochlear America
building showing how large it is)
Cochlear America is just one of the companies earning millions
from the bodies of Deaf children, they were founded in 1982 and their annual
revenue is $500-999 million.
Description: Ruthie is
dressed in a black long sleeve shirt that says “STOP AUDISM”
on
the sleeves and a black hat standing next to Heather, who is also wearing a
long sleeve shirt that says “STOP AUDISM”
on
the sleeves. Heather is holding 2 rolled
up banners and some papers.
Ruthie signing:
Tonight we are standing against audism and challenging the
Cochlear Implant industry to stop robbing Deaf children of ASL, Deaf Culture
and identity. We want Advanced Bionics,
Cochlear America and Med-El to acknowledge the cognitive damage cochlear
implants cause, expose the facts regarding the deaths of Deaf children from
cochlear implant surgeries, and stop taking advantage of Deaf children and
their parents.
Description: Heather and Ruthie walk to the front door of
Cochlear America where they use blue painters tape on the windows, lean AFA
cards on the front door, and lay out the AFA STOP AUDISM banner. There are 12 candles surrounding the AFA logo
and Heather is sitting on the ground near them.
Ruthie is standing in the foreground signing and then moves and sits on
the ground next to the banner and 12 candles.
Ruthie signing: Tonight we hold a vigil to honor the12 Deaf
children who died from CI surgery that the Cochlear Implant industry refuses to
recognize.
Earlier, I mentioned research that has recently come to light that showed in the 1980’s CI surgery caused the deaths of 12
Deaf children and a panel of experts called for the end of cochlear implant
surgeries in children. Sadly, the CI industry
ignored the panel’s recommendations and continue making
billions of dollars off Deaf children and their families while disregarding the
health of the whole child. Now, we honor
those 12 Deaf children who were taken from us along with honoring all CI
survivors.
Description: Ruthie kneels
down to light the 12 candles that are in a circle around the AFA logo.
Ruthie signing: These 12 candles represent the 12 Deaf children
taken from us, as we light these candles I imagine the experience of their
parents as the doctors and audiologist came into their hospital rooms and said,
“I’m so sorry your child is deaf, but we
will send the audiologist in to explain a surgery that will cure them”…just
like that, the child’s light was extinguished before they
had a chance to shine. Tonight, we
reignite their flames, so they may shine once again and know they are valued,
honored and remembered. We also light these flames in honor of our future Deaf
children, those who will carry our legacy, language, culture. WE stand for them and for all. LET FREEDOM ROLL! Feel your spirits rumble and stand up, stop
audism, tell the cochlear implants companies NO MORE! When we free our minds, colonialism has no
power and we can inspire Deaf children to be healthy, happy and whole.
Heather signing: Bless the 12 Deaf children and carry them with
us.
Description: Ruthie and
Heather standing while Heather is holding a lit candle.
Ruthie signing: Seeing the
lit candle is inspiring and makes me laugh at the propaganda cochlear implant
companies spread. Cochlear America’s
slogan is “Hear now. And always”, they try to convince people that the
only value Deaf people have is their ears and mouth. Little do they know, ASL is CHAMP… Here
now. And Always!
