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The costs associated with deafness are significant. In 2000, researchers at Johns Hopkins University estimated that the cost to society of one child’s deafness is over $1 million (special accommodations and reduced work productivity were taken into account). They also estimated that a cochlear implant saves an individual over $50,000 in related expenses. Their conclusion: cochlear implants provide a substantial direct benefit and save both deaf individuals and society money.
The independence and self-sufficiency made possible by gaining access to sound through a cochlear implant will save these young children, their families, and society many times the amount you generously donate today. Your gift will give over and over.
Deaf children face a number of wrenching difficulties and extraordinary challenges. The human community is characterized by speech, and that speech is summarized by a mother saying ‘I love you’ to her child, and the child hearing and responding in kind. If we allow opportunities to offer this birthright to pass away…if we fail to act to correct a problem when we have the means at hand, [then] we have violated our oath as healers.
Dr. William F. House
Father of Cochlear Implants
Help Me Hear Foundation Board Member
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At a minimum, a deaf child…
- will be unable to communicate via spoken language.
- will develop reading skills more slowly.
- will have more difficulty understanding mathematical concepts.
- will be limited in schooling and vocational choices.
Without extensive specialized management, a deaf child generally…
- will not develop beyond a third or fourth grade level.
- will feel isolated.
A deaf child born into poverty in a developing country is less likely to overcome their socio-economic status than his or her hearing peers.
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