Here is a link to a great article about a real issue: cochlear implants and the deaf community. Many of us take for granted that the deaf suffer from a disability, but this is not at all the mindset of many in the deaf community, who see deafness as a social identity.
As I mention in a comment below the article, to many in the deaf community, deafness is no more a disability than my inability to see infrared. Where we differ is that if I had the ability to expand my sensory abilities, I would do so.
In the Transhumanist world we find ourselves building, any type of sensory absence is going to be an evolutionary disadvantage. That's not a statement of emotion or belief, I believe it's just a statement of fact. Although I understand the deaf community's fear of losing its social identity, I don't see it as relevant. These changes are coming regardless.
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