With more people wearing masks, the coronavirus pandemic has forced the deaf and hard of hearing community to confront an additional challenge as it makes it difficult for them to communicate.
Deaf and hard of hearing community rely on reading or observing lips to understand speech and use it for social communication.
Although several people find them to be quite bothersome. They fog your glasses, muffle your speech, but, for a deaf person, the mask can be especially troublesome.
Catherine Neymzan runs Blingva Translation Services. She says it’s not the voice, it’s the lips.
“They have to ask a person to show their lips so they can read them and understand what the question is or what they want to say,” explains Neymzan. “Of Course, it’s very awkward, and it’s challenging.”
It’s one of those unintended consequences. Not only do deaf people need to see other people’s lips, but they also rely on facial expressions to interpret their tone or emotions.
Natalia is deaf. English is her second language. Before starting her online interview with KPIX 5, she needed the laptop camera positioned so she could see the reporter’s lips.
So what happens when she meets someone with a mask?
“Sometimes, I just don’t communicate with the other speaker wearing the mask because it’s like impossible for me,” she said via text.
There may be a solution. Masks are being made with clear plastic inserts, so people see more of the face — see your smile and yes, read your lips.
