I don't know how many times I've seen or read about the greatness of cochlear implants and the wonderful technology behind them. It's undeniable, but dear news media, dear medical community, and dear hearing parents of deaf children, they are NOT MIRACLE CURES for deafness.
A miracle cure for deafness is when a person who can't hear can suddenly hear again without having their heads cut open and devices implanted. So please stop presenting CI with the show-biz hype and marketing spin, because it's not a 100% effective on everyone and it's certainly doesn't come without risks or drawbacks.
Need evidence, read this article recently published by the University of Connecticut: http://today.uconn.edu/2016/02/study-of-cognitive-development-in-deaf-children-revisits-longstanding-debate/
Real miracle cures are 100% and don't have qualifications. End of story.
Now, given that it's not 100%, why in the world would you not want to give your deaf child access to sign language? And even, if it were, why wouldn't you want your kids to know ASL?! There are no drawbacks. Let me repeat that. There are no drawbacks to your CI-implanted child learning ASL to augment their exposure to language. It's all benefits.
For gosh sakes, hearing people with hearing children teach their babies sign all the time because it helps with the child's intellectual growth as well as making communication easier when the little one is pre-verbal. It's ridiculous for a deaf child not to get the same benefit, doncha think?
And yet, you have many medical professionals and oral advocacy groups still discouraging the use of sign language. Shame on you, you knuckleheads! You doing a great disservice with your fear and ignorance.
Full disclosure: my daughter is profoundly deaf, does not have a cochlear implant, and is currently an ASL instructor as well as an award-winning actress.
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