i have been deaf since my fourth birthday. having no useful residual hearing, i rely on lipreading and facial cues to understand what others are saying. so when you wear a mask and i can’t see your lips moving, i am completely lost.
even for those with partial hearing, masks are problematic, muffling sound and making it difficult to hear.
“as soon as you put a mask on, you lose 10-15 decibels,” says kaia rongstad, co-owner of northland audiology and hearing service in juneau.
it’s not that i disagree with mask-wearing. i am completely aware of the risks of covid-19 and the importance of flattening the curve. but when theresa tam, canada’s chief public health officer,
recommended that canadians wear masks
in situations where physical distancing was difficult, my first thoughts and words were not printable. when a further barrier to communication arises, your first thought is how it will affect you personally, not how wonderful it will be to help flatten the curve.
because although more people wearing masks will slow the spread of covid-19, for me — and so many others — it means not being able to understand others, to not know when i am being spoken to, and to be completely unaware of the emotions, feelings and moods of those around me. a mask can cover three quarters of your face, which also covers important facial cues.