Since July 20, 2020, the protective mask against the coronavirus is mandatory in closed public spaces. And today, some French cities even impose it in the street: this is particularly the case in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Montpellier …
If the mask is effective in slowing the spread of the coronavirus epidemic (it is also recommended by the World Health Organization and the National Academy of Medicine), it complicates the lives of people with hearing loss. – that is to say: deaf or hard of hearing. Indeed: the wearing of the mask makes it impossible to lip reading (that is to say: to read on the lips) and the fabric muffles sounds, which further disturbs hearing.
A transparent mask to make life easier for people with hearing loss
Good news : the General Directorate of Armament (DGA) recently gave the green light to two French companies that manufacture transparent masks. Odiora and Inclusive Mask thus offer protective masks against the coronavirus which allow the wearer’s mouth to be seen. The price ? Between 10 and 15 euros per unit, for a washable mask – therefore reusable about twenty times.
Supported by the Interministerial Committee for Handicap, these two French companies currently produce in small quantities. However, the Interministerial Committee for Handicap asks that this production be “industrialized[e] so that we can lower the prices and find them at Carrefour or at the pharmacy for example“.
Jérémie Boroy, the chairman of the committee, even hopes that this inclusive transparent mask will be quickly adopted by civil servants, catering staff, shopkeepers, the police or even medical staff … to make life easier for people. deaf and hard of hearing people.
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