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The documentary Sound and Fury focuses on a family who is Deaf and their decision to implant their daughter with a cochlear implant. The documentary raises many popular issues surrounding the topic and how one family’s decision can impact the life of their child. Nita and Peter Artinian are Deaf and their daughter Heather, one of three children all Deaf, has been showing some curiosity towards a cochlear implant. Peter’s brother and wife Mari, who have normal hearing, have just given birth to twins, one of whom is profoundly deaf. The movie follows the family’s’ journey towards finding what they believe is best for their child. Nita Artinian, Mari Artinian and Peter’s mother each had a very unique perspective on the decision and their understanding of “Deaf”.

Nita Artinian thoroughly believes that being Deaf and apart of the Deaf community is the best for her and her family. While her initial perspective towards the implant was that she didn’t want her eldest child to have a childhood like her own, she was afraid that if Heather received the implant, she would no longer be a part of the hearing or Deaf world. She was afraid of the invasive surgery, discouraged by the outcomes, and felt that cochlear implants would create robots. However, she stated that if Heather is happy, she is happy and ultimately expressed concern when presented with the statistic of the average reading level of a deaf person. Nita is a mother above all and wants the best education possible for her children, which is why she chose to move her family to Maryland. As a mother her perspective is unique because of she wants to give her children the best of everything, and she believes this is done by immersing them in the Deaf culture, as she is. While she admits to experiencing difficulties in her youth, Nita is a strong advocate for the Deaf community and believes it is a part of you that shouldn’t be changed. Nita has a strong sense of pride with her deafness and wants to instill in her children the same.

Mari Artinian provides an exceptionally unique perspective on the matter because she herself has normal hearing, however she was raised by Deaf parents. Mari was raised in Deaf culture and supports and accepts it as a part of her life. When Mari and her husband were told one of their twin boys was profoundly deaf, she was faced with a difficult decision. She explained that her decision to implant her son stemmed from the reality that his entire family is hearing, and that he should have every opportunity like everyone else, in both worlds. Mari makes a point to acknowledge that her son will be raised in both worlds, because of the strong impact the Deaf culture and community has on her life. While Mari feels like she is betraying the world that she knows, she also wants a normal life for her son. Mari believes that the Deaf culture should not mean you are segregated from the rest of the world, and that they should be accepting of people who choose this decision. Her son Peter will always be deaf, but she wants him to be able to communicate with the rest of the world as well.

Lastly, Peter’s mother who has normal hearing provides another interesting perspective because she has raised a deaf son. She believes that Heather will suffer more without the cochlear implant because she knows what Peter went through as a child. She saw his isolation and frustration and realizes that the hearing world is not going to learn sign language. While she can accept his deafness she explains that the Deaf world is changing, and if Peter was born today she would have gotten him the implant. She even exclaimed that Nita and Peter are hurting their children by not giving them all the opportunities available in life, and are trying to escape the decision by forcing them into a Deaf world only. Because she raised a deaf son and watched the turmoils and trials that he experienced, she is confident that the best thing for Heather is to receive a cochlear implant and be a part of both the hearing and Deaf world. Due to her own experience with deafness, she believes the children will have more opportunities and a better life with the implant.

Deciding on whether to implant your child with a cochlear implant is a difficult one regardless of if you come from a Deaf family or not. Many different people are involved in the decision making process, all coming at the decision with unique personal perspectives. This can be seen in the documentary Sound and Fury and the Artinian family. While ultimately the decision to receive the implant is made by Heather and her parents, each family member demonstrates a unique perspective which is related to their understanding and philosophy of “Deaf”.

-Erin White M.A., CF-SLP, TSSLD