Black And Bold Ruth Laraba Barnabas On Life With Bilateral Cochlear Implants

When Ruth Laraba Barnabas speaks, her words come softly but with remarkable clarity and a quiet reminder that the voice isn’t only shaped by sound. At 24, Ruth is a communication specialist, a bilateral cochlear implant user, and a proud Deaf woman redefining what it means to live between silence and sound. Ruth lost her hearing completely at age 20. It didn’t happen overnight, but the signs were there. Hearing aids had become part of her routine since her teenage years, but eventually, even those couldn’t help. “At some point, I could hardly hear anything at all,” she recalls.

Hoping for a better device, she traveled to India, intending to upgrade her hearing aids. But after several tests, doctors told her what no one in Nigeria had: hearing aids would no longer serve her. The only option left was cochlear implant surgery, a brain-related operation that bypasses the ears entirely. The surgery was not done through the ears, but just beside them. She didn’t have much time to think about it. She was on a short-stay visa, the clock was ticking, and the opportunity was rare. After undergoing eligibility assessments, she was approved and had both cochlear implants done at the same time.

Now, with the help of processors attached to each side of her head, Ruth can hear not with her ears, but with her brain. “People see the device and assume I’m not Deaf,” she explains. “But this doesn’t cancel my Deafness. It just changes how I experience it.” Even though technology helps her connect to sound, Ruth proudly identifies as Deaf. She’s now a member of the Deaf Association of Nigeria and is learning sign language. “There are Deaf people who choose not to use cochlear implants or hearing aids and that’s okay,” she says. “Some believe in embracing Deaf culture fully, while others, like me, explore both worlds.”

Ruth admits that her experience of being Deaf may differ from many who were born Deaf or lost their hearing in childhood. “I didn’t face much stigma growing up because I could hear. But becoming Deaf at 20 in an African society means you constantly have to prove yourself that you’re still capable, still intelligent, still worthy.”

She adds that access to cochlear implants remains a huge challenge in Africa, not just because of the cost, but due to a lack of awareness and testing. “It’s not something you can just go and get. You have to be evaluated, and not everyone qualifies. While Ruth has faced her share of misunderstandings and awkward stares, especially when people see the visible processors on her head, she has learned to carry them with confidence. “My cochlear doesn’t define me,” “But it’s part of my story. And I’ve learned to own it.”

She wants parents of Deaf children to know that there’s no one right way to be Deaf. “Support your child, guide them but let them decide. Whether it’s learning sign language or going for an implant, let them lead their journey.”

Ruth’s story is about choosing empowerment over shame, technology without losing identity, and standing tall in a world that sometimes asks you to prove you belong.