Ryan Malonda and Jessica Cosgrove represent two distinct journeys through the world of hearing and deafness, shaped by their choices regarding cochlear implants. Malonda, a 30-year-old accessibility technology expert at the National Disability Insurance Agency in Melbourne, has an incredible story. She was implanted with a cochlear device at just 17 months old. Cosgrove, a 37-year-old Perth mum. She underwent cochlear implant surgery at the age of three because of her Usher syndrome, but eventually decided to stop using the device. Her experiences underscore the transformational influence of these decisions on identity and autonomy, as well as the choice to communicate in various ways.
Ryan Malonda’s early access to sound and the support that came with his cochlear implant has been a key factor for success in his life. By April 1997, he had surgery. At the time, he was honored as the youngest person in Victoria to get the device. Malonda, a person with bilateral profound sensorineural deafness, relies heavily on sign language in his daily communication. He pushes back against lost opportunities for language acquisition, particularly for young children, explaining that a lack of timely access has lifelong implications.
“Language acquisition as early as possible is absolutely critical and delaying that would have had lifelong consequences.” – Ryan Malonda
By comparison, Jessica Cosgrove’s experience illustrates how things should operate. Though she was implanted exceptionally early by today’s standards, she voluntarily rejected her cochlear implant by the age of seven. Today she has no regrets about making that leap. Cosgrove now looks back on that decision as the foundation stone of her personal journey. She decided to celebrate her distinctive way of experiencing the world, choosing a path that differed from conventionality’s expectations about cochlear implants.
The Role of Cochlear Implants
Cochlear implants are surgically implanted devices that give a sense of sound to people with profound hearing loss. Surgery takes less than a day to perform, granting relatively rapid access to new auditory experiences. The choice to get an implant is a matter of balancing a range of factors, including sense of self and way of interacting with the world.
Eliza Brbich, a professional advocate for early intervention and diagnosis of hearing loss, explains the importance of providing access to sound early in life. She notes that children with cochlear implants excel in acquiring oral language and social competence. They do even better if they take up sign language along with auditory training. This two-prong effort can make their communication experience much more well-rounded for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
To do that well, informed consent—and by extension, shared decision-making—must become foundational to the implantation process. He states,
“It is absolutely a standard of care to support informed consent and shared decision-making.”
This method allows families to truly understand the effects of their decisions. It equally gives them the agency to shape how they communicate as they grow older.
Parental Influences and Autonomy
In fact, the decision-making process around cochlear implants may mirror larger societal preferences and parental biases rooted in audism. Debra Swann, chairperson of Deaf Australia, highlights two critical responsibilities parents face: providing access to the world around their child while respecting the child’s autonomy and future right to identity and linguistic freedom.
“The first being the parents’ obligation to give their child access to the world around them,” – Debra Swann
“The second being the child’s future right to autonomy, identity and linguistic freedom.” – Debra Swann
Many Deaf adults express concern that parents prioritize cochlear implants over learning Auslan (Australian Sign Language), potentially overshadowing the child’s preferences and needs. Ryan Malonda echoes this sentiment, sharing his own experience of being directed towards speech and listening without adequate exposure to a bilingual approach.
“She was simply told to focus on speech and listening without being shown the full picture of what a bilingual approach could offer.” – Ryan Malonda
Malonda has no illusions about where he’s at. He doesn’t want the same thing to happen to his mother by having her wait until he’s able to make independent choices about hearing devices. His early implantation gave him important access to sound that formed his academic and social life.
“I do not think I wish my mum had waited for me to be old enough to make that choice.” – Ryan Malonda
Individual Paths and Perspectives
Both Malonda’s and Cosgrove’s experiences highlight how personal and cultural factors can shape cochlear implant outcomes in dramatically different ways. While Malonda’s implant facilitated his integration into hearing society, Cosgrove found her identity within a deafblind community after removing her device.
In the video below, Cosgrove shares what she learned from spending a week without her cochlear implant.
“It’s simply a different way of experiencing the world.” – Jessica Cosgrove
For her, removing the device allowed her to embrace her identity fully rather than conforming to societal expectations about communication.
To shed some light on the broader context, only about 2,000 of the 30 million adults and 570 million children are cochlear implant eligible within Australia’s entire population. Every individual decision counts. It influences their immediate environment, as well as the long-term impact on who they will be in life as a deaf or hard-of-hearing person.
