In August of 2023, it was announced that hundreds of Deaf children in Australia had their cochlear implants incorrectly programmed. Not only were their MAPs insufficient to provide access to oral language, but they went through years of therapy services without a single provider noticing. This massive blunder has resulted in significant language deprivation for hundreds of Deaf children, with little education or support for their families. These children need intensive language therapy in Australian Sign Language (Auslan) from fluent providers in order to receive critical linguistic input that they missed.

Read more about the bungle here. Read a letter from the Australian organization Parents of Deaf Children here.

This petition is intended to help the children impacted by this malpractice by advocating for them to receive intensive language intervention in Auslan from qualified providers, as well as education and supports for their families to ensure they have the tools to help their children acquire language.