When a health crisis like COVID-19 strikes, we all tend to look at the bigger picture. Because of this, some groups might be overlooked. For example, the deaf and hard of hearing community might find it difficult to understand someone speaking to them from behind a mask. This is exactly what 21-year-old college senior Ashley Lawrence was worried about and she decided to do something about it. (1)
Masks For Deaf COVID-19 Patients
Ashley is a student at Eastern Kentucky University who like millions of students across North America is now completing her studies from home. Studying education for the deaf and hard of hearing, she reflected on the challenges a patient with a hearing disability might face. It would be scary enough dealing with the coronavirus, without the added challenge of not being able to understand what health care providers are saying. And that’s when her idea kicked in.
Clear Plastic Masks For Deaf
Ashley designed a special face mask with a clear plastic area to expose the mouth. This makes it easier for patients who depend on lip reading and American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with their caregivers.
“I felt like there was a huge population that was being looked over,” says Ashley. “We’re all panicking right now and so a lot of people are just not being thought of. So, I felt like it was very important that, even at a time like this, people need to have that communication.”
The special face mask is designed specifically for front line health workers caring for patients with hearing disabilities. “I just saw that people were making masks on Facebook for everyone to have instead of the throwaway masks, and I was like, what about the deaf and hard of hearing population?” she says. (1)
Masks For Deaf Provide Personal Touch
“People who are profoundly deaf who use ASL as their primary mode of communication,” says Ashley. “ASL is very big on facial expressions and it is part of the grammar. So I don’t know if you have seen Virginia Moore on Andy Beshear’s things at five o’clock, but she’s very emotive, and if half of that is gone because you’re wearing a mask then half of what you’re saying is being missed, so even if it’s not physically talking and just using ASL, then you need to have that kind of access.” (1)
Customized Masks For Deaf
Both Ashley and her mom are quite handy with a sewing machine. They teamed up to put their skills to good use. “We started out making them with bedsheets that we had, and luckily bed sheets are big,” says Ashley. “So, we have two or three sets so we’re making them out of that. Then, a couple months ago we needed plastic fabric for something. And so, we have a whole roll of that, and the window is only this big so having a whole roll is very helpful so luckily we haven’t needed any supplies yet.”
Ashley used her understanding of the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community to do something to make their experience less overwhelming. Between her knowledge and both her and her mom’s resourceful minds, they came up with a design they could easily produce at home. “We’re trying different things too for people with cochlear implants and hearing aids if they can’t wrap around the ears,” she says. “We’re making some that have around the head and around the neck.” (1)
Masks For Deaf Orders
In less than two days, the pair received dozens of orders from six states. “I’m not charging anything for them because I think that if you need them, then you need them and I don’t think that you should have to pay for them,” says Ashley. “So, we are sending them out for free whenever we have people asking for them and if they’re foreign, then maybe we’ll charge shipping, but other than that they’re completely free.” (1)
“I am completely overwhelmed with the love you all have given these masks! We’ve updated the pattern for the mask to be easier to make. We’d love to make you some or send you the pattern to make your own!! We are #TogetherKentucky,” says Ashley on her Twitter page. (2)
To order one of Lawrence’s masks, she can be reached at dhhmaskproject@gmail.com and you can make donations to her Go Fund Me page.
