According to IDEA an assistive technology device is “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, modified or customized, used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional ability of a child with disabilities". However, the exception is any “surgically implanted medical device.” Cochlear implants can improve some functional abilities of a child with disabilities and IT IS a surgically implanted medical device. However, during the procedure the electrodes are surgically inserted into the patient's cochlea… a medical device is NOT surgically implanted. Although electrodes are not generally considered “medical devices,” when they are synchronized with other medical devices outside the cochlea, they take on the role of that network's “medical device.” This is why there is debate about whether or not a cochlear implant is an assistive technology. The gray area comes into play whether or not they are considered assistive technology because the law specifically states that the medical device must be surgically implanted to be considered assistive technology. Therefore, since an electrode is a medical device only when the earpiece and transmitting coil are connected externally, it is questionable whether or not this can be qualified as an “implanted medical device”. When the external features of the implant are removed (they can be removed at any time),