Volume 16, No. 1 Spring 2021Communication Implications: Face Masks and Students Who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing AUTHOR:
ABSTRACT Many people, regardless of hearing ability, perceive information from seeing the faces of others, and most individuals who are Deaf and Hard-of Hearing (DHH) lip-read to some extent during conversation. For the DHH, mask-wearing can become a hinderance that makes daily life more challenging. In this new “normal” of daily life brought about by the onset of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, mask-wearing and physical distancing have become essential safety measures that we must take in order to keep ourselves and others safe. Face masks have become a public and social-gathering norm in addition to a primary line of defense against COVID-19. However, this barrier of protection has added a barrier of communication for the DHH. From bank tellers to physicians, therapists, and teachers, professionals around the country are treating and interacting through a barrier. For individuals who rely on lip-reading and facial expressions to communicate, the increased use of facial coverings can lead to even greater sense of isolation. The goal of this work is to highlight communication challenges encountered by the DHH community when communicating with others wearing face masks and offer simple solutions to address the difficulties that mask-wearing presents to this population. DOI: DOWNLOAD FULL ARTICLE |