Ultimately, I got sick and tired of both groups trying to tell me how to live my life. The deaf culture advocates tell me I should fling away my [cochlear implant (CI)] and make my home within the community. The CI advocates tell me that I should give up using [American Sign Langauge] and become fully immersed in the hearing world.

My experience in the firestorm of the culture wars has complicated my relationship with deaf  and CI communities. I find myself thinking, “Not again,” whenever anyone from either side tries to convince me that my choices in life are ill-advised without understanding my situation and values. I’ve carved out my own life, based on my own cultural philosophies, and left the debate behind (mostly). —The Daily Beast.