snyderkern668117

Recently there was articles 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 to their family and went into that eternal slumber that people all eventually face.I couldn't help but feel profoundly sad for both of these men. One reason is that I simply don't think the life of a deaf and blind person is worthless. Also because I don't believe that people that are depressed should be permitted to end their lives. Psychiatrists might help both with therapy and medications, if necessary.The main reason I feel sad for these men is that I saw the movie, The Miracle Worker, about Helen Keller. She actually is famous worldwide as a woman who was simply both deaf and blind who became an author, public speaker 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.Not long ago i saw a movie about cochlear implants. The unit have allowed children who have been born deaf to hear and be portion of the hearing world. However, in this movie, they did say that these implants aren't as successful in adults. The cochlear implant allows them to listen to but they don't necessarily know very well what they're hearing so that they still rely on lip-reading. Because children's brains remain developing, they are more prone to learn to understand and communicate like a hearing person.Let's just assume that these men looked into all 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 issue with cochlear implants and solutions for the deaf is that they assume you can see. In the end, the deaf world is filled with people who can see. Likewise, the blind community is full of people who can hear. A person who is both deaf and blind could have one foot straddling both communities. Yet they would not really be a full person in either world.I started to think about all the difficulties of someone who can neither see nor hear. Then I thought who am I to guage these men on the decision? After all, I am speaking from the position of privilege. I could see, although not along with I used to be able to. http://osolinfo.com/index.php?qa=user&qa_1=bladebirth42 I could hear, albeit with some hearing loss.What type of life would someone deaf and blind live? What would each day in their life be like? When I think about all the things I do on a daily basis a deaf and blind person wouldn't normally be able 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 on a regular basis if I were in their shoes. These men would not be able to work. They could not be self-sufficient and would probably be institutionalized or at the minimum require a helper using them all or most of the time. Their only potential for having any activity in their life would be should they learn Braille so that they could read.I know that being deaf and blind makes communication with all of those other world difficult, but if you can read and write, there are ways of staying in touch with other people. I've no doubt that people would like 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 personal problems are.I really do not think badly of the men for quitting on life, but I do believe that they had other choices. They could have already been types of two men who triumphed over two of the largest disadvantages in life. Ultimately, I am sad concerning the inspiration these men might have been to many people around the globe if they had chosen to continue living. After all, I really believe one of our biggest purposes in life is to inspire others. So long as you be capable of think, speak and write, you can do this. It's important for everyone to remember that.