Posted on 10/04/2022 11:43:08 AM PDT by george76
Mandatory mask wearing saw more than 90% of deaf people struggle to communicate during the pandemic, University of Essex research has revealed. It also discovered that 76% missed vital information and 59% felt disconnected from society due to the face coverings.
This is because masks restrict the ability to read lips and judge expressions. It also emerged that over-55s who became deaf later in life found communication using masks more challenging. And profoundly deaf people and signers experienced more disconnection from society and negative effects on their well-being.
Dr. Eva Gutierrez-Sigut, from the Department of Psychology, led a team of deaf and hearing researchers who made sure that the survey was accessible in different sign languages.
Nearly 400 people were surveyed to discover how COVID-19 hit the deaf community and the researcher hopes the findings will now help shape public policy in health emergencies. Dr. Gutierrez-Sigut says that "mask mandates were vital in fighting the spread of the deadly coronavirus but meant some of our most vulnerable communities were left isolated. The pandemic lockdowns were hard for everyone but even more so for the deaf and hard-of-hearing."
This research exposes the unexpected consequences policies can have in a fast-moving international emergency and how people can fall through the cracks. "If the world is gripped by a pandemic again Governments need to do more to be inclusive and engage with communities to find out what they need to thrive and survive."
The paper—published in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications—also uncovered cultural differences in how masks affected understanding, with Brits struggling more than Spanish people across the board.
It is speculated that this is due to differences in mask regulations and that Spaniards made more of an effort to use other means than speaking, such as gesturing, writing, or "some other creative alternatives."
The research also showed that there is no one size fits all approach for the deaf or hard-of-hearing with masks. Signing, speech reading, and other communication techniques affect comprehension in combination with levels of deafness, whether they can use sign language, and when hearing loss started.
However, a clear mask which made the entire mouth and lower face visible was the preferred option for many. Dr. Gutierrez-Sigut says that "most deaf people we spoke to agreed these masks made a real difference and made everything from a trip to the shops to a vital doctor's appointment easier. It is worth remembering though that there isn't a one-size fits all solution for these communities. The deaf and hard-of-hearing are not a homogenous group and have different needs."
"One thing is clear though, more needs to be done to engage with them. To do this we made a real effort to create an accessible study using sign language to reach them. We are so thankful deaf and hard of hearing shared their experiences and we hope we can make their voices heard and seen."
I remember laughing so hard I was crying when I first saw that skit. The 70’s were the golden age of sketch comedy TV. The original SNL, SCTV, Carol Burnett and Monty Python.
Don’t have to tell ME about it! Was a serious problem. If a person would not drop the mask so I could lip-read, I had to hand them a notepad and pen.
Yeah, besides the face diapers muffling speech, they would hide behind a clear plastic shield to destroy what little was intelligible.
You would not believe the layers of plastic our local DMV had, with a tiny hole to let out a small bit of sound.
Same here!
I’m very hard of hearing, not deaf, just heard of hearing. I’ve not encountered too many difficulties, I just say, repeatedly if necessary, “I can’t hear you, please remove the mask.”
I would sometimes say ten or more times, “I still can’t understand you”.
My poor Aunt Peggy (deaf since her early 20s) spent the last two years of her nursing home life living in mask hell. English, in her late 90s, and sharp as a tack until the masks went on. My nieces appealed to multiple U.K. government agencies with zero relief... “Sorry about your Mum” was the best they got. Her kids couldn’t see her in person, and her low IQ immigrant “caretakers” had no patience and zero understanding of her condition.
This masking was a problem for hard-of-hearing for me as well. very much so. And the faster another talks, skipping over full enunciation of words, the worse it gets.
Wow! I testify that this article is the truth. I have diminished hearing and masks worn by other was a major block in communication.
Masks made it hard for deaf people to communicate? Sorry to hear it.
More importantly, masks made it hard for tens of millions of children to communicate.
And with the kids it will delay their development for awhile. I know two kids that are having difficulties with speech (ages 4 and 5).
“I wear hearing aids but didn’t realize how much I relied on reading lips until the mask epidemic arrived.”
Ditto
It was a challenge for me. To help, I used an Android app called “LIVE TRANSCRIBE”. It turns spoken speech into text. Works great and is free!
bein half deaf I had serious problems... I cant tell you how many times I just turned and walked away from “Mumblers” who would mumble at the same volume even when asked to speak up. And whats the worst of it all, THEY get irritated with you!!
Rush Limbaugh said it right... “We’re the only handicap people get mad at”!!
Yep. It’s hard for we deaf folks!
Ditto!
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