Recently there was an article about two 45-year-old Belgian deaf twins who discovered they were going blind. As a result, they both made a decision to end their lives by medically assisted suicide. Fortunately for them, they lived in Belgium, a country where euthanasia is legal. They said goodbye with their family and went into that eternal slumber that we all eventually face.I couldn't help but feel profoundly sad for these two men. One reason is that I simply don't think the life span of a deaf and blind person is worthless. Also because I don't think that people who are depressed should be allowed to end their lives. Psychiatrists might help both with therapy and medications, if necessary.The main reason Personally i think sad for these men is that I saw the movie, The Miracle Worker, about Helen Keller. She is famous worldwide as a female who was simply both deaf and blind who became an author, presenter and political activist, traveling around the globe. If Helen Keller could make a life worth living, why couldn't both of these men?I find it hard to believe that with all of the medical advances out there, they couldn't think of a solution to help their deafness or prevent them from going blind.I recently saw a movie about cochlear implants. https://forums.ppsspp.org/member.php?action=profile&uid=1578560 These devices have allowed children who were born deaf to hear and be area of the hearing world. However, in this movie, they did say these implants aren't as successful in adults. The cochlear implant allows them to hear but they don't necessarily know very well what they're hearing so they still depend on lip-reading. Because children's brains are still developing, they are more likely to learn to understand and communicate just like a hearing person.Let's just assume that these men looked into all of the medical possibilities of improving their eyesight and hearing, and there were none. What options are left for them as deaf and blind people?The problem with cochlear implants and solutions for the deaf is they assume you can see. In the end, the deaf world is filled with people who can see. Likewise, the blind community is filled with people who can hear. Somebody who is both deaf and blind could have one foot straddling both communities. Yet they would not really be a full member of either world.I started to think about all of the difficulties of somebody who can neither see nor hear. I QUICKLY thought who am I to judge these men on the decision? After all, I'm speaking from a position of privilege. I can see, although not and I used to be able to. I can hear, albeit with some hearing loss.What type of life would someone deaf and blind live? What would a day in their life end up like? When I think about all the things I do every day that a deaf and blind person would not manage to do, I understand why the twins felt so hopeless. But if Helen Keller read, wrote, graduated from Radcliffe College, and made her life worth living, why couldn't they?What would I do every day if I were within their shoes. These men wouldn't normally be able to work. They could not be self-sufficient and may possibly be institutionalized or at least require a helper using them all or more often than not. Their only potential for having any activity within their life would be should they learn Braille so they could read.I understand that being deaf and blind makes communication with the rest of the world difficult, but if you can read and write, you can find ways of staying in touch with other people. I have no doubt that people would want to read their opinions and even read a book they wrote about their life experiences and difficulties. After all, when you think about difficulties they face, you understand how minor your own problems are.I do not think badly of the men for giving up on life, but I really do believe that they had other choices. They could have been examples of two men who triumphed over two of the largest disadvantages in life. Ultimately, I am sad about the inspiration these men might have been to many people around the globe if they had chosen to continue living. After all, I believe among our biggest purposes in life is to inspire others. As long as you be capable of think, speak and write, you can do this. It's important for everyone to remember that.


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Last-modified: 2021-11-18 (木) 15:55:19 (899d)