A Guatemalan nonprofit, Circulo, has produced transparent masks for people with hearing disabilities to communicate seamlessly during the pandemic.
The coronavirus has forced people in Guatemala to use masks in public places and maintain social distance.
In May, the Association’s Director, Luis Aguilar, 43-year-old systems engineer, realized that the use of masks made inclusive communication with people with hearing disabilities impossible due to their need to read lips.
“We all must wear clear masks because the beneficiary is the deaf person. I don’t know when I will speak to someone who is deaf,” he described at the Círculo workshop in Antigua, Guatemala.
The inclusive masks were devised by the interdisciplinary team of seven people within the association and created by two young designers, Dulce Vásquez and Alejandra Arenales, 18 and 19 years old, respectively.
Since May 25, when the tests and the first 13 prototypes gave rise to the final model, Círculo has released these inexpensive masks (about Q30) and has produced, in just over three weeks, 650 masks.
In Guatemala, it is estimated that at least 240 thousand people with hearing disabilities live, and more than 95 percent of them read lips to understand what they are saying.
