Rebecca-Anne Withey: Deaf people have been forgotten in the current pandemic

We are over three months into the global pandemic of COVID-19 and it has now been announced that from the 24^th July face coverings will be compulsory in shops and supermarkets. Those refusing to comply can face up to a £100 fine.

It’s been a month since I first shared my concerns about face coverings on public transport  increasing the sense of isolation for deaf people.

I was, therefore, pleased to see deaf business owners and even everyday people come up with their own initiatives for overcoming this; creating business cards to let people know they are deaf and even producing face masks with a transparent panel.

However, since this time, my enthusiasm and ‘deaf can do!” positive attitude has waned somewhat and I find myself feeling rather defeated.

My feelings felt validated recently when I read a post by an author highlighting his new, playful mask which covered almost all of his face. Browsing the comments under the post, I discovered a series of messages from deaf people stating how they felt even more excluded from the world with one person simply saying they felt “deaf people have been forgotten in all of this.”

And that is exactly how I feel.

Deaf people have been forgotten.

Whilst I understand the importance of keeping people safe and healthy, I cannot help but feel that deaf people, and to be specific – lip readers – are being expected to just ‘grin and bear it’ as the world becomes masked.

I cannot stress enough that by covering your mouth, you take away the only communication method for millions of people in this country.

One newspaper article stated how the government expected some people to be more ‘comfortable’ by the new regulations, whilst others may feel more ‘nervous.’ Not once did I see anyone mention the words vulnerable or violated which is how a lot of deaf people contacting me actually do feel.

If mandatory regulations are made, why are deaf people not being considered and suitable alternatives made widely available?

If you look up online the full list of those exempt from the new rules, it actually says that those who ‘have to communicate to someone who lipreads’ can be considered exempt from wearing a mask.

But how are those people going to feel safe whilst communicating without a mask? What if they are subject to angry confrontation from other shoppers or staff members who don’t realise they’re with a deaf person.

Deafness is an invisible disability and I’m sure we all know someone who has experienced abuse simply because they weren’t recognised as being deaf.

When other shoppers wear face coverings, deaf people have NO idea if they’re being spoken to. It’s not too dissimilar to hearing people being expected to do their shopping whilst wearing sound removing headphones. They would also feel unable to communicate, isolated and excluded from the rest of the world, like a lot of deaf people already do – before these measures were brought in.

Being deaf, it can also be difficult to navigate the world of shopping if you don’t know what the systems in place are and are also unable to ask others about them too. Last week I decided to step into the big wide world again and actually went to a shopping centre for the first time. I was confused to see each shop with different regulations in place.

“Only four customers per store!”
“We accept up to 30 customers only.”
“Please wait for someone to call you in.”
“Come in and please be mindful of social distancing.”

The differences in the rules laid down per shop was baffling and I cannot express how intimidating it was to walk into a particular store with staff members stood watching me, all with full face coverings on. Did they speak to me? Did they ask me a question? I did not have a clue. And they wonder why people are still preferring to do their shopping online…?

On a more positive note, I am pleased (and relieved!) to see the use of face shields and transparent visors in most stores, which enable the wearer to both keep others safe AND also allow Deaf people to read their lips. But it’s a simple fact that for the general public face coverings with a clear panel are NOT widely produced or distributed and are not so easy to obtain or even create a ‘do it yourself’ version.

I ordered face masks with transparent panels 4 weeks ago. I am still waiting for these to be delivered. Browsing online, it seems that even if you find a handmade transparent mask, the costs and even delivery fees are ridiculous. A far cry from the 99p disposable face coverings I’ve seen being sold in high street stores.

Some of my friends have even took to wearing badges that say “I’m deaf” or carrying tote bags which state they are a BSL user. But these aren’t always noticeable and they just highlight the fact that society does tend to forget about deaf people and their needs.

Prior to this pandemic, we were already concerned for the deaf community’s mental health and it’s fair to say that right now I am more worried than ever. I am tired of fighting and having concerns fall on deaf ears and I am sure you are too. But let’s do our best to support each other through these unsettling times. We can speak up and remind others that we are HERE!

If you are a business owner, shopkeeper or work in anyway with the general public – please can you ensure all of your face coverings are transparent and enable deaf people to continue to lipread you.

Please also make staff aware that they may encounter deaf people or people with them that won’t be wearing a face covering.

Can we make it more widely known that those accompanying lip readers are exempt from these regulations – to prevent them experiencing hostility from unaware shoppers.

And for the every day person, please be mindful that the person you may be speaking to from behind your covered face mask might actually be deaf.

 

Image courtesy of unsplash.com