Deafness is the most common disability in the United States. Cochlear implants are an amazing technology that can restore a sense of hearing to many people affected by hearing loss, enabling them to learn to listen, speak, enjoy music, learn a foreign language, talk on the phone, succeed in mainstream education classes without the use of a sign language interpreter, and overall live happy, successful, productive lives just like anyone else! My friend, Rachel Chaikof, was one of the first children in the United States to receive a cochlear implant as part of the FDA clinical trials in 1989.