Deaf Not Dumb Podcast – Amplifying the Voices of the Cochlear Implant Community
CIICA member and CI user Charlotte Young launched deaf not dumb, a captioned video podcast series, six months ago with a simple idea: to support people navigating hearing loss, raise awareness and create a space for stories that deserve to be heard.
Since then, what started as an idea has grown into a global community, with Charlotte now having released over 20 episodes, featuring guests from Australia, Canada, Dubai, Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, and the UK, with many more conversations already recorded.
The podcast has brought together voices from across the cochlear implant and hearing loss community, including: surgeons, audiologists, medical professionals, technology experts, parents, those with lived experience and advocates.
Charlotte said: “Becoming a cochlear implant user transformed my life in ways I never expected. It reshaped how I hear, how I see myself and how I move through the world. This podcast was born from that journey.
“Each episode features honest, unfiltered conversations with CI users, parents, experts and advocates. We talk about real lived experiences, the wins that feel huge, the awkward assumptions, the quiet stereotypes, the identity shifts, the confidence battles, the parenting moments, tinnitus and the resilience we build along the way.
“The mission is simple: to support others navigating hearing loss, to raise awareness and create space for stories that deserve to be heard. deaf not dumb stands for community – deaf but NOT dumb. We deserve to be heard.”
For Charlotte, the need for authentic conversations is personal. After almost 20 years of progressive hearing loss before receiving a cochlear implant in 2022, she found it difficult to find stories from people who had experienced a similar journey. deaf not dumb aims to go beyond clinical information, exploring the real experiences, emotions, challenges and triumphs of living with hearing loss and using a cochlear implant.
The podcast’s growing international reach reflects the importance of these conversations, while the range of guests demonstrates just how many different perspectives and experiences exist within the CI community.
As deaf not dumb continues to grow, Charlotte is looking forward to sharing more conversations and amplifying more voices — helping ensure that no one feels alone in their hearing journey.
CIICA plays an important role in bringing together people with lived experience, professionals and organisations from across the cochlear implant community, helping to share knowledge, promote informed choice and ensure that the voices and experiences of CI users remain at the heart of the conversation.
You can also read Charlotte’s blog about her Tinnitus experience here.
27 February 2026