If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it ‘ is a common English expression that warns against fixing something that is fine the way it is. Leave well enough alone. Don’t mess with it, or you’ll make it worse.
Some little people and deaf people feel the same way.
‘Little person’ is the preferred nomenclature for a person who is shorter than 4 feet 10 inches. One of the causes of small stature is a condition called achondroplasia, a genetic bone disorder.
A new pharmaceutical drug has the potential to treat this problem. Testing has shown very positive results. On average, it has increased the height of clinical trial participants by .6 inches in one year and the effects could compound with long-term use.
Some little people insist they do not need help. Megan Schimmel has achondroplasia, and she wouldn’t change it for the world. She believes her experiences have made her who she is today. Not only does she not want the treatment for herself, she also does not want it for her 2-year-old daughter, who also has achondroplasia.
Shimmel is not alone in her belief that little people do not need to be cured. Mark Povinelli, the president of the organization Little People of America, told the New York Times, the new drug “is one of the most divisive things that we’ve come across in our 63-year existence.” He believes that height is not connected to quality of life. Little people don’t have a height problem. It’s society that has a problem being obsessed with height.
Similar opinions have also been expressed by some in the deaf community. TED Talk speaker Irisa MacAulay describes herself as deaf and proud, not hearing impaired and not someone with hearing loss. This distinction is important because she doesn’t identify as someone who is diminished, compromised, or broken.
Cochlear implants were invented in the 1970s. In the ensuing decades, hundreds of thousands of deaf people have received the implants allowing them to hear.
Similar to the debate over the new drug for achondroplasia, not everyone has welcomed the treatment. Some deaf people believe strongly that being deaf is not a disability; It is a culture and identity that they are proud of and want to protect. In some cases, deaf parents of deaf children have refused the implants for their children.
Some say it is unethical to not provide the implant to deaf children, but Brandon Edquist might disagree. He was given a cochlear implant as a child but later rejected it as an adult after becoming more integrated with deaf society. He says the bottom line is deaf people are the same as everyone else. “What is there to fix? We’re happy with the way we are. We don’t view it as a problem.”
Resources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/05/world/dwarfism-vosoritide.html
https://www.insider.com/why-deaf-people-turn-down-cochlear-implants-2016-12
https://boingboing.net/2020/09/24/a-new-drug-claims-to-treat-dwarfism-not-everyone-thinks-it-needs-treatment.html
‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’ This is a common English expression. It warns against fixing something that is fine the way it is. Leave well enough alone. Don’t mess with it, or you’ll make it worse.
Some little people and deaf people feel the same way.
‘Little person’ is a name for someone who is shorter than 4 feet 10 inches. Some little people have achondroplasia.
A new drug can help this problem. Tests have shown very good results. On average, it has increased the height of children by .6 inches in one year.
Some little people say they do not need help. Megan Schimmel wouldn’t change herself for the world. She believes her experiences have made her who she is today. She does not want the treatment for herself. She also does not want it for her 2-year-old daughter, who is also a little person.
Shimmel is not alone in her belief that little people do not need this drug. Mark Povinelli is the president of the group Little People of America. He believes they don’t need to be fixed. He says that little people have a good quality of life. Little people don’t have a height problem. It’s society that has a problem with thinking that size is important.
Some deaf people also have similar opinions. TED Talk speaker Irisa MacAulay does not say she has hearing loss. This is important because she doesn’t feel less than anyone else. She is deaf and proud.
Since the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of deaf people have received implants allowing them to hear.
Not everyone has welcomed the treatment. Some deaf people believe strongly that being deaf is not a disability. It is a culture and identity that they are proud of and want to protect. In some cases, deaf parents of deaf children have refused the treatment for their children.
Some say it is wrong to not provide the implant to deaf children. Brandon Edquist might disagree. He was given an implant as a child but later rejected it as an adult after learning more about deaf society. He says the bottom line is deaf people are the same as everyone else. “What is there to fix? We’re happy with the way we are. We don’t view it as a problem.”
Resources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/05/world/dwarfism-vosoritide.html
https://www.insider.com/why-deaf-people-turn-down-cochlear-implants-2016-12
https://boingboing.net/2020/09/24/a-new-drug-claims-to-treat-dwarfism-not-everyone-thinks-it-needs-treatment.html
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