Dorothy Akpovwa
Professor Arlene Ducao
Diversity and Technology
20 October 2020
To Be Deaf in The Age of The Coronavirus
The rise of COVID-19 cases across the globe caused mass panic and confusion as people struggled to picture what the future would hold. The last few months have exposed many flaws in our system and have forced us to adapt to a “new normal” that was unimaginable this time last year. In the early stages of the epidemic, scientists tried to come up with different solutions to stop the spread of the novel virus. As time passed by and more research was done, the public health and safety guidelines also started to change. One major debate in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak was whether healthy people needed to wear masks or not. In March, when the virus started spreading exponentially, I recall scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saying that we needed to reserve masks for those that are ill and for the medical professionals working in the front lines. Now, several months later, scientists recommend that people wear masks when in public settings to reduce the spread of the virus.
Masks are not new technology. They have existed for many years but were mainly used by those in the medical field. The age of COVID-19 has spiked an increase in their use not only in the medical field but also amongst the general public. There are many different types of masks. Examples include surgical masks, cloth masks and N95 masks.
Fig. 1 Different Types of Masks
The CDC recommends that we wear masks with two or more layers to stop the spread of COVID-19. Surgical masks, for example, contain 3 layers: a mix of non-woven fabric and a middle melt-blown material that acts as a filter and have a >95% particle filtration efficiency (PFE). Melt-blown filter media is arguably the most important component of a surgical mask as “this layer determines the level of protection the masks provide” (Sanne).The purpose of masks is to prevent the release of contaminants from the user into their immediate environment which would help to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The medical masks are usually manufactured in China, however, cloth masks can be made at home or they can be bought from stores. “Before the start of the coronavirus epidemic, China produced about 20 million face masks per day”, this makes China one of the world’s largest suppliers of face masks (Sanne).
The implementation of masks to help combat the spread of the coronavirus has proven to be effective by many credible sources. In the United States, the spread of the novel virus started to slow down after masks were enforced in many public places. For example, Arizona was one of the country's hotspots for the coronavirus but after stricter rules were enforced statewide, they began to see a decrease in cases. The CDC looked at the trends in Arizona from January 22nd- August 7th,2020 and observed that “the number of COVID-19 cases in Arizona stabilized and then decreased after sustained implementation and enforcement of statewide and locally enhanced mitigation measures, beginning approximately 2 weeks after implementation and enforcement of mask mandates and enhanced sanitations practices began on June 17”.
Graph 1 COVID-19 cases in Arizona
The graph above proves the effectiveness of masks alongside other state mandates. Several counties in Arizona such as Yuma county, Maricopa county, Pima county and many others enforced the mandatory wearing of masks to help stop the spread of the virus which contributed to the decrease of the number of COVID-19 cases in Arizona.
According to the CDC guidelines, individuals should wear masks that cover their nose and mouth. Masks should also fit snugly against the sides of the face to avoid gaps. While the need for masks has statistically proven its importance in today’s world, it could pose issues for people in certain groups that sometimes rely on facial expressions and lip reading to understand other people. This community is the deaf/hard of hearing community.
The deaf community’s voice has not been heard as much as it should be. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, and 34 million of these are children. With such a large number of people experiencing hearing loss, it is sad how our society has not done enough to accommodate those that identify with this salient social identity. There are quite a number of social and economical disadvantages associated with being deaf or hard of hearing. In terms of social disadvantage, “exclusion from communication can have a significant impact on everyday life, causing feelings of loneliness, isolation, and frustration, particularly among older people with hearing loss”, states the World Health Organization. Economically, WHO estimates that unaddressed hearing loss poses an annual global cost of US$ 750 billion. Developing countries rarely accommodate those in the deaf community. People that identify with this salient social identity rarely receive any schooling in those parts of the world. Adults with hearing loss have a higher unemployment rate and even those that are employed are placed in lower grades of employment compared to the general workforce.
From my understanding, a good number of people in the deaf community rely on lip reading and body language to be able to understand what non-ASL signers are saying. ASL stands for
American Sign Language. To better
Fig. 2 Lip reading
understand the relationship between the deaf community and the rules governing masks, I interviewed two people that come from two different backgrounds. Raven Sutton and Andre Robinson were interviewed through written responses on google docs.
Raven is from Birmingham, Alabama. “I was genetically born Deaf from my father and his side of the family. I am the 4th generation that is Deaf”, Raven expressed. When asked if she signs American Sign Language(ASL), she mentioned that that is her primary language. She graduated high school from the Alabama School for the Deaf, and obtained her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Social Work from Gallaudet University. She currently works at a Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency in D.C. that serves survivors in the Deaf
Raven Sutton
community.
Andre was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. “Everyone calls me Dre or DJ Deaf Tunez because I’m a DJ”. Andre mentioned that he has had hearing loss since he was three years old. “I grew up at Deaf school my whole life before transferring to a mainstream school. I graduated from Umass Dartmouth for a Psychology major and now I’m pursuing a Master
Andre Robinson
of Social Work at Simmons University. I have been Djing for 5 years now and I enjoy what I do to play music for everyone”, Andre said.
Both Andre and Raven mentioned that they use their large social media platforms not only for fun and recreational use but also to create awareness for the deaf community. Raven uses her platforms to create Deaf Awareness videos, dance videos and ASL music covers. Andre uses his social media platforms to post positive quotes, promote his DJ business and create funny videos on tiktok.
I asked them several questions that related to masks and the pandemic. The first question I asked them was if they knew how to read lips. This question is relevant to this assignment since masks cover the lips which eliminates the possibility of lip reading. They both know how to read lips, however, “not all Deaf people can read lips. I learned how to read lips due to my mother's side of the family not knowing ASL and using verbal english to communicate”, Raven Clarified.
I then proceeded to ask them how the covid rules regarding masks had affected them. I encouraged them to talk more about reading lips and body language. Raven said, “In general, it is difficult to communicate with non-ASL signers. Now due to COVID-19, it is mandatory to wear masks for our safety. This has become even more frustrating for me because normally I can get by by reading lips, but now that isn’t possible. Facial expressions play a big role when communicating with ASL”. Raven said that because of masks she “can only see eyes and eyebrows which makes it impossible to see facial expressions”. Both Andre and Raven expressed how important masks are because of the circumstances we live in, however they do believe that the wearing of masks has caused some sort of disadvantage to them. Andre said that wearing masks has “affected the Deaf community because for hard of hearing people, they may not understand what people are saying while wearing the mask and it is frustrating for them to tell them to repeat what they are saying”. Andre noted that ordering food or trying to talk to customers is hard especially since we have to wear masks and stand 6 feet away from each other. Raven said, “sometimes people have the urge to pull their mask down to try and communicate with me, but that makes me even more nervous. I rather they keep their mask on and communicate with me via pen and paper. I normally type in the “Notes” on my phone to communicate what I need”.
Interviewing Andre and Raven made me realize how much privilege I had. It made me question why it has taken so long for society to accommodate the deaf community. The use of masks has shone a light on areas that need to be addressed. It is not fair that members of the deaf community had to adapt by reading lips to get by when a majority of people outside of the community do not know simple ASL. Privilege is discussed in the “Keywords For Today A 21st century Vocabulary” by Colin MacCabe. Privilege is a special right or advantage only available to a person or a certain group of people. “Nowadays in potentially fraught social encounters, the reminder to “check (y)our privilege” when engaging with others encourages recognition of our individual contexts of privilege” (MacCabe). The interview has made me realize my privilege when it comes to social interactions and communication.
As a follow up question as to how masks have affected their ability to understand what others are saying, I asked them how their work/school environment was like. Andre and Raven expressed that they were no longer students and that they can talk more about their work environment. Raven works at a Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency in D.C. that serves survivors in the Deaf community while Andre works at a school for the deaf. “It was tough to be honest, it was very tough”, Andre said. “All the kids can’t go outside and play or go to the gym and especially they can’t socialize in the classroom or the hall. They must stand 6 feet away from the staff and teacher. All students couldn’t understand why. They wished everything back to normal. All the staff have to wear their mask all day and they can’t take it off while teaching with students, which is frustrating for them. Students are not able to see the teacher lip reading”, said Andre. Raven on the other hand mentioned that all her work is done via emails, zoom and Video Relay Services. She mentioned that deaf people use video phones to call non-ASL signers via an interpreter. All of her clients and co-workers are deaf so she said that she does not have issues with masks while working from home.
After hearing their experience with masks in their respective work environments, I was curious to know how they were treated outside of the deaf community. I asked them whether people go out of their way to accommodate their disability. Both of them had similar responses. “People don’t go out of their way to accommodate me. I feel that they don’t want to deal with me, so they rush through whatever we are doing to get me out of there. It is very frustrating and makes me upset, but I am used to that feeling. My struggle with communicating with hearing people is the same before COVID-19 it just
Andre Robinson
became 10x worse during the pandemic”, explains Raven. Andre said that most times when he tells people that he is hard of hearing and wearing his hearing aid that people are willing to speak clearly. He did mention that it depends on the situation and that sometimes people do not care. He went on to say, “It is frustrating asking people to repeat what they said over and over again. It’s frustrating for them to say it again”.
After hearing their thoughts and feelings about everything that has been going on because of the coronavirus, I decided to ask them what they thought about clear masks. Clear masks offer a solution to lip reading while also wearing a mask and adhering to CDC guidelines. Both Andre and Raven expressed that while clear masks are a good idea, it becomes a problem when the masks start to fog up because of the user’s breath.
To conclude the interview, I asked them what people can do to better accommodate the members of the deaf community. Andre said “the most important thing is learn from them, If they want to learn about the Deaf Community and their rights, they have to go to a lot of Deaf events and meet a lot people, and take their time to learn from them, especially taking ASL classes or doing research (Google is your best friend)”. He stressed that it is really important to know ASL and deaf culture. The well known DJ went further to say that, “ just be patient with them [members of the deaf community], they have been going through enough. If they told you that they are hard of hearing or Deaf then be patient with them. Do whatever it takes to help them and make them feel better. We need a lot of people to support Deaf Community’s access”. Andre then closed by urging the readers to understand their perspective: “imagine if you have a child and find out that they’re Deaf and Hard of Hearing, what would you do? Think about it.”
Raven said, “I suggest people learn basic ASL. One day of your life you will end up having to communicate with a Deaf person. There should be a mandatory budget that is for accommodating people with disabilities. People should know the ADA law and follow it. Be open to learning and have patience.” Improving access to education and vocational rehabilitation services, and raising
Fig.3 ASL illustration
awareness especially among employers about the needs of people with hearing loss, will decrease unemployment rates for people with hearing loss.
The outbreak of the coronavirus has exposed many faults in our system. It shone light on areas that still need improvement. The deaf community needs more awareness and attention and the use of masks has shown that. People in the deaf community adapted to society by learning how to read lips meanwhile the majority of people in the general public do not know simple ASL. While the use of masks has statistically proven to be effective in reducing the spread of the coronavirus, I believe that it is important to look out for those in the deaf community and be more aware and open to learning how to better accommodate them.
Acknowledgement:
Thank you to everyone who participated in this study. Thank you Raven Sutton and Andre Robinson for lending your voices to this matter and spreading awareness about the deaf community.
Work Cited
CDC. “COVID-19: Considerations for Wearing Masks.” Centers for Disease Control and
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CDC. “Trends in COVID-19 Incidence After Implementation of Mitigation Measures - Arizona,
January 22–August 7, 2020.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 Oct. 2020, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6940e3.htm.
CDC. “How to Select, Wear, and Clean Your Mask.” Centers for Disease Control and
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LLC, ACS Material. “Technical Data Sheet: Disposable Face Masks.” ACS Material, 2020,
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USA, center for disease control and prevention. “How to Protect Yourself & Others.” Centers for
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Van der Lugt, Sanne. Taking Back Responsibility: A Joint Effort to Increase the Production of
Medical Masks in Europe. Clingendael Institute, 2020, www.jstor.org/stable/resrep24657. Accessed 27 Oct. 2020.
WHO. “Deafness and Hearing Loss.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization,
2020, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss.
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