With masks being made mandatory for everyone in indoor facilities in many countries globally, this has posed significant challenges for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people who rely on lip reading to communicate. These challenges have exacerbated the communication barriers between the Hearing and Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities.
Lip reading is a way of using skills, knowledge, general awareness and cues to understand and follow what other people say. It is one method that provides Deaf and Hard of Hearing people with the opportunity to participate in hearing conversations and daily communications. Lip reading is part of many other cues in communication for Deaf people, alongside facial expression, hand gestures, body language, tone of voice, and the context of the conversation. Although not all Deaf or Hard of Hearing people use lip reading, it plays a crucial role in communication for those who do. Studies have shown that although only 30% of the English language is visible on lips, if the context is familiar, then this rate can go up to 60-70% understanding of the conversation, a significant difference.
Standard medical use masks make it impossible to lip read, which poses challenges in communication. Thinaja Nadarajah is a Deaf individual. Nadarajah is used to navigating the hearing community through using American Sign Language and lip reading: “Sometimes you can catch things on their lips and kind of piece together what they’re saying. With a mask, I don’t see anything”, she says. The mandatory wearing of masks by most public-facing employees poses an increasing challenge to effective communication. With the knowledge of the communication difficulties and barriers behind mandatory masks policy, the Smile masks project came up with a new mask that can meet these unique needs.
Western University graduate students Matthew Urichuk and Taylor Bardell in Communication Sciences and Disorders program founded the Smile Masks project. The project offers masks featuring a transparent panel over the mouth region that allows people who rely on lip reading to see what is being said under the mask. The plastic panel is also called the “smile panel”. The Smile Masks project provides people who rely on lip reading with more access to effective communication, which is a great stepping-stone to inclusive communication. This project helps build a supportive environment that enables every means of communication for understanding. By working towards inclusive communication within a pandemic, we are reducing the communication barriers for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities and are continuing to improve and strive for a more equitable and inclusive society.
Please use this link to support people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in our community! https://ca.gofundme.com/f/smile-masks-project
References:
Vanderhoeven, P. (2020, July 07). Western University students' lip-reading masks a huge help for hearing-impaired. Retrieved from https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/covid-19-western-students-free-lip-reading-friendly-smile-mask-big-hit
Western grads' lip-reading masks will put a smile on your face | CBC News. (2020, July 08). Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/western-grads-free-lip-reading-masks-put-smile-on-your-face-1.5640841
What Is Lipreading. (2019, December 16). Retrieved from https://www.hearinglink.org/living/lipreading-communicating/what-is-lipreading/