I Can Hear You Whisper summary

Have you ever wondered why humans are the only species to have developed language?

Scientists are still researching this question, but experts widely agree that babies are born with an innate ability to learn language. They understand some universal grammar rules and principles, like consonants, vowels, nouns, verbs, pitches, intonation and phrases as building blocks.

The concept of deafness has been poorly understood throughout history, and hearing people often assumed that deaf people were just less intelligent. Even Aristotle thought that deaf people were incapable of learning and using logical reasoning skills.

We’ve come a long way since then. In fact, the debate about using sign language or oral language has been going on for centuries.

As the deaf community began to assert their identity more in the twentieth century, something else also changed: scientists began developing tools to “cure” deafness.

Early experiments were aimed at repairing damaged ears. For a long time, scientists lacked the technology and understanding to do much for people with hearing difficulties. That started to change in the middle of the century, thanks in large part to the invention of the telephone.

We’ve seen how sound is processed in hearing people, but what about in deaf people?

Both hearing and deaf children need experiences to develop their neural pathways. Babies are born with around 78 billion neurons and even more are generated as the children get older. Neural pathways, however, can only be formed with new experiences.

The first cochlear implants were only given to adults. That changed in the 1990s, however, when it was decided that they could be given to children as young as two.

This sparked a lot of debate. Many people questioned the necessity of cochlear implant surgery, as the deaf community had earned a lot more respect and recognition by that time. The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, for example, forbade all forms of discrimination toward people with disabilities. New tools for deaf people, like TV captions and dial assistants, had suddenly become the norm.

When cochlear implants were developed, they seemed poised to revolutionize education for the deaf and hard of hearing. Such people had long suffered in traditional education systems. Many only managed to reach a fourth grade level of reading and writing.

Deaf education existed before implants, however. In 1975, the United States passed Public Law 94-142, which guaranteed free and suitable education to all children, so deaf children had been attending regular schools long before cochlear implants. Lots of schools staffed interpreters or teachers who specialized in education for the deaf.