'Invisible disability': Masks making it harder to communicate, deaf and hard of hearing say

Going to get groceries these days is the source of anxiety for many people during the pandemic the lineups, the narrow aisles, the touching of produce. But when you're hard of hearing or deaf, the task can be exponentially more difficult.

"The masks that everyone is wearing right now are quite the barrier," said Leah Riddell, community outreach director for the Ontario Cultural Society of the Deaf.

Riddell, speaking through a sign language interpreter, said masks prevent people from being able to read lips or facial expressions.

"For those wearing masks, I'm not sure if they're talking to me or if they'retalking to somebody else. So there's a lot of assumptions. And if you ask somebodyto repeat they can be very dismissive," said Riddell.

"We have to go out, we have to survive. We have to work. So there are a lot of members within the community that are quite anxious and quite concerned when they need to go out."

With more and more businesses opening their doors, and Canada's top health official now officially recommending the use of face coverings in public, the task of communicating has become increasingly difficult for some who are deaf or hard of hearing.

While options such as clear masks have emerged in some places, they are not widely available or worn, so people who are deaf or hard of hearing andare struggling to communicate now are asking for patience and understanding from the public.

Different levels of hearing

The widespread use of masks hasaffecteda range of people with different levels of hearing ability.

Craig Lund, a Toronto-based marketing head hunter,has been hard of hearing since he was three. Heisdeaf in his right ear, has about 30 per cent hearing in his left ear and wears a hearing aid.

"What the pandemic has shown is that I rely on reading lips a lot more than I realized," said Lund.

"Masks came along and all of a sudden I started to struggle a whole lot with understanding what was going on."

Lund described a few instances at the grocery store where he's been unable to understand what someone is saying.

"There's a lot of anxiousness when people are having conversations they want you to move along quickly. And people start to get irritated really quickly too," said Lund.

For those who are deaf, masks present an additional challenge: about 70 per cent of American Sign Language (ASL), involves facial expressions and body movements, and only 30 per cent comes from hand signs, said Riddell.

"Facial expressions are quite critical in the language, and with the masks it's a barrier that prevents communication from happening because half the face is covered," she said.

Until recently, the struggles have been at grocery stores.

"Now that things are starting to slowly reopen we're noticing it even more. There aremore concerns, more anxiousness, about,'Are they going to understand, are we going to be able to do this?'" said Riddell.

Masks plus physical distancing

Another challenge is just how much masks muffle the sound of a voice.

"There have already been some studies to show that general surgical medical masks may reduce the way someone perceives sound by three to four decibels (DB)," said Rex Banks, an audiologist and director of hearing health care at Canadian Hearing Services, adding that can make someone's voice 25 to 30 per cent softer.

Physical distancing makes the problem even worse.

"So you have the level of speech that's decreased and then also when you put the distance in there so trying to stand maybe sixfeet away from each otherwho knows at this pointhow much of the sound is actually reaching the person," he said.

Banks said there are a number of speech-to-text apps and other tools that he's advising people to use during this time. Canadian Hearing Services has also been conducting a series of webinars that offer resources for people who are having challenges right now.

Clear masks

In recent weeks, there's been a popularization of clear masks intended to help those who are hard of hearing communicate.

Meredith Brookings, owner of Couture Alterations in Whitby, Ont, pivoted to manufacturingPPE after the pandemic was declared. She typically tailors wedding gowns or dresses for special occasions.

One of her products that's seen a spike in demand: clear masks. It started with a request from theCanadian Helen Keller Centre.

"We put our heads together to come up with a design to help," said Bookings, who has now been inundated with requests for clear masks.

"From New Brunswick to Windsor to up north and Peterborough. I even had a couple of requests from Kansas City and Texas down in the States."

While clear masks offer some benefits, the problem is that it's other people not just those in the deaf community that need to be wearing themfor them to help those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Because of that, Riddell said right now many still prefer face shields becausethey're more accessible. Some are even getting creative and making shields at home.

Medical grade masks

Health Canada recently authorized the use of one type of mask with a clear mouth for medical use against COVID-19, manufactured byClearmask LLC, a Baltimore company

It's the first clear mask that's been given the green light by the federal body during this pandemic, but it's unclear how many health-care workers are wearing them in Canada.

In the meantime,the deaf and hard of hearing community isasking for understanding from the public.

"A lot of times it's an invisible disability," said Lund.

"People don't realize that there are other things going in other people's lives. Everyone has various levels of stresses or abilities whether it's mental health or hearing."

Sometimes that means putting yourself in another person's position before reacting, said Riddell.

"It's just very important for mainstream societyto understand you just need to have some patience with us to communicate."