Rebecca-Anne Withey: Face masks and how deaf people are producing their own solutions

Now that face masks have been made mandatory for travelling on public transport, many deaf people have been left worrying about how they will manage to communicate. The Limping Chicken’s editor Charlie, summed up our concerns perfectly with his illustration here;

The British Academy of Audiology have also issued their response to mandatory face coverings in hospitals, stating how the decision will create a significant disadvantage for the 1 in 6 of the UK population who are deaf or have hearing loss and rely on lip reading to communicate. You can read their call for urgent action here.

I recently had a very unnerving experience at an ‘outdoor café’ where I was faced with the prospect of ordering drinks from staff who were all fully masked. Despite telling them I was deaf, they refused to remove their mask and I was told through gestures to simply make my order because of the fact that they could still hear me.

I left that café feeling shaken, uncomfortable and – truth be told – quite vulnerable. It felt similar to walking into a place blindfolded, with no idea of what was in front of me. Realising that I rely completely on lip reading, wearing a full face masks removes not only your lip pattern but also facial expression which assists with communication.

So on a personal note, the decision to make face masks mandatory with no explanation as to how deaf people are going to be able to maintain independent communication, is an extremely worrying one.

Within the deaf community there has been discussion about the production of face masks with a clear panel, which allows deaf people to lipread and see facial expression. A couple of deaf people have taken matters into their own hands, with one family producing and selling a wide range of face masks with a clear panel.

Called ‘Visible Mask’ these clear panel masks in a wide range of designs cost £6.20 including post and packaging. The family even post internationally too! The designer and her daughter are both deaf and state how due to relying on lip reading, they decided to make their own masks using home machines and are now enjoying providing their services to the deaf community. You can find them on Facebook under the personal page Justine DB.

Over in Northern Ireland, deaf BSL user Christopher Wightman has also come up with his own initiative to support deaf people too.

“Face masks are already a common sight and with the rules of the masks being made compulsory over the coming days, this is something as a Deaf person that deeply concerns me.

I have seen throughout social media people sharing similar concerns and are scared about leaving their homes, using transport, going to do the shopping, going to work as the communication barriers are only going to increase.

It could be sometime before we see clear masks and even then they may not suit everyone.”

Because of this Christopher has ordered over 2500 business cards to give simple communication tips to support communication on both sides. On the back of the card you tick your preferred communication method and carry it with you at all times. You may never need it but if you are in a situation then it could come handy.

To enquire about getting hold of these cards, you can get in touch with Christopher at christopherwightman@icloud.com

It seems that sometimes the solution to problems begins with us – the deaf community – and by being resourceful and creating solutions, whether it’s the the production of communication cards or clear face masks, we are able to empower ourselves when others are unable to provide the support we need.

Are there any other deaf led initiatives that support communication when wearing face masks? Do share!