Jen Dodds: My tips for surviving the face mask situation! (with BSL video)

Coronavirus has changed life as we know it for everyone.  Many people, including myself, are worried about how we will manage when mask wearing becomes compulsory in shops in England from 24th July.

Watch Jen sign her article below, or scroll down to continue in English!

I’m actually happy about it, too, because masks should help to stop the spread, and I’d rather we were safe than sorry.

It’s not that simple, though.   I know lots of people are really angry about this and feel that deaf people have been left behind.  Other people are very anxious.  It’s worse for people who have to wear masks daily; those who work in shops and other key workers for example; not an easy situation and we will all have to be patient with each other.

Mind you, I think most of us who just go to the shops now and then will manage – we’re deaf, yes, but it’s not the end of the world.  And some deaf people can’t lipread anyway!

So, this is my attempt at being positive and constructive about the whole thing.  I’m determined to have a Can Do attitude about masks!  Here are my top tips for surviving this new mask wearing culture (if you have any better ones, please do share them – the more tips we have, the stronger we’ll be together!)…

Be visible 

Consider wearing a badge?  You can get lots of them, including “I can’t lipread through your mask” ones, from Sootmegs.  Some people have said they don’t like the idea of wearing “deaf” labels, but we ARE deaf, so we might as well own it.  

I’m actually thinking that although my badges are cool, people won’t be able to see them from a long way away, so what if someone is shouting at me from a distance and I blissfully have no idea?!  I’m in the market for a nice and bold DEAF AND PROUD t-shirt, if anyone is making them.

Wear a smile mask

Wearing masks with little plastic windows in them (as per my video) means that deaf people can lipread each other, but will also show hearing people out there what they COULD be wearing.  Hopefully when they see us in ours, they’ll agree it’s a great idea and buy their own!  There are loads out there, so see what you can find.

And of course, everyone likes to see a smile, deaf or hearing!

Gesture 

Another fairly obvious thing to do is to gesture to people to explain stuff.  You can usually have a basic conversation without having to use your mouth!  That’s nothing new, really.

Plan ahead

One thing that I’ve found useful is to plan ahead.  For example, if I’m off to a shop to pick up something I’ve ordered, I like to write down my name, order number and any relevant information before I go.  Then, when I arrive, all I need to do is hold the paper up (plus smile and give a thumbs up), and that’s the job done – the message is conveyed.  I think it makes it easier for hearing people too!  Sometimes you might have to write a bit of an essay, but it’s still worth it!

Or, you could try an app like Make It Big, which does just that – you can type large notes on it to show people!  Also, if you switch on the microphone thingy and get someone to speak into it, their speech will be converted to text, too!  Marvellous! It’s not perfect but it does work.  Or, you could simply have a good, old fashioned, pen and paper conversation (with your own pen and paper at each end, no swapping germs, sigh)…

Stay positive

I know that we’re going to get through this.  We deaf people are expert communicators and we CAN move forward with this!  So, best of luck, stay safe, and do hit me with your own top tips!