New masks with a transparent window are coming on the market, to allow deaf or hard of hearing people to read the lips of those who wear them. Cédric Lorant, president of the Unanimes association, explains the challenges of this new type of protection.
Since July 20, wearing a mask has been compulsory in closed public places. If the effectiveness of masks to fight against the coronavirus has been scientifically proven, they constitute a major obstacle to the communication of deaf or hard of hearing people. Cédric Lorant, president of the Unanimes association, explains to us how masks with a transparent window are essential for deaf or hard of hearing people, and tells us about his daily life as a deaf person in times of a pandemic.
The company Odiora has just launched, with the support of the Fondation pour l’Audition, the production of its Smile Masks ®, which are embellished with a transparent window. What are they for ?
The transparent window already allows us to see that the person opposite is speaking. This is crucial information, which we lose with normal masks.
More generally, these masks are used to improve communication for deaf and hard of hearing people, for whom lip reading and facial expressions are essential. Windowless masks completely destabilize us, because they deprive us of the mental support necessary for good communication, even when it is based on sign language (not all deaf people sign, editor’s note).
All profiles are affected by this problem, including people with mild deafness, who were surprised to encounter communication difficulties because of the masks, whereas normally they accommodate their handicap without any problem.
Who are you making these masks for?
The process is not necessarily obvious, but these masks are intended for hearing people. As such, people who are deaf or hard of hearing do not need openwork masks to communicate. I will encourage our community and politicians to wear them, but it will be just to set an example.
Are these masks already available?
Yes, they were homologated last week, and I received some yesterday. Companies employing deaf and hard of hearing people will be able to distribute them directly to their workers. We are also thinking of going through chambers of commerce to provide merchants with openwork masks. Finally, I think I will encourage each of us to distribute these masks individually, especially to our local stores. Me, I’m going to do that.
How have deaf or hard of hearing people lived since the start of the coronavirus epidemic and the wearing of masks?
We encounter significant problems on a daily basis, especially when we go shopping. We can ask cashiers to remove their masks by telling them that we are deaf, but some are too afraid of the virus and refuse to remove them. This concerns approximately 50% of cases.
I recently made an order in a restaurant with a basket, and it was very complicated, because in addition to the masks, the seller was uncomfortable with my disability. I have people around me who even had to give up shopping because they couldn’t make themselves understood. They had to change stores to find one that accepts that their employees remove the mask to communicate.
During medical appointments with ENT and audioprosthetists, it’s fine because they are equipped with windows and visors. But in hospitals, where openwork masks are not used at all, this can be very disabling, especially if the deaf or hard of hearing person comes for surgery, for example. In this case, she will also be deprived of any eyeglasses and hearing aids, which further diminishes the senses used for communication.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing often feel excluded* from society. Does the coronavirus pandemic and the wearing of masks increase this feeling of exclusion?
There are two dynamics, one negative and one positive. Of course, for some people, especially those who already felt excluded from society before the pandemic, Covid-19 makes things worse. But for others, the coronavirus and wearing a mask push them to assert themselves, and to find alternative communication solutions, such as writing or instant written transcription applications for example.
The telephone relay centre, which allows, thanks to the presence of a third person or an adapted system, to put deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or aphasic people in telephone contact with a contact person (person, customer service, public service) , has also widely developed since the beginning of the epidemic.
*According to a Canadian study, a hearing loss of 10 decibels, the sound of slow breathing, increases the risk of being socially isolated by 52%. Source: Mick P, Pichora-Fuller MK, “Is hearing loss associated with poorer health in older adults who might benefit from hearing screening? » Ear and hearing 2016; 37 (3): e194-201.
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