Redesigning the Mask

This post was first published in 2020

The date is April 5th, 2020, and it is day 24 since the quarantine began on March 13th. Ever since then, Canadians have experienced a new normal. Most things we take for granted are closed. There are no more new movies, no more sports or games because places we would often go to for entertainment are closed, forcing Canadians to entertain themselves at home. On a serious note, there has also been an economic fallout, people have lost their jobs, small businesses are suffering while hospitals are getting overwhelmed.

However, thanks to our social distancing, the curve is slowly getting flat, reducing the chances of more people getting sick. Now people are going out only if they have to, wearing masks to protect themselves. As a result, the streets of Toronto have been less busy than usual. In fact, after visiting St. George's campus on an errand, I could not help but notice how quiet the place was. Robarts’ big peacock head towers over the empty streets that once were filled with students rushing to and fro between classes, and daily food trucks constantly producing yummy cheap lunches. For once in my life, I could hear my own footsteps striking the steep steps to the Fisher Library in the absence of speeding cars at the intersection. Just going to the campus took half the time it usually takes me to get to St. George. While this may be strange, it might just become our new normal.

There has been a bit of a debate over whether the masks that people are hoarding will actually protect them. According to the Guardian, both the N95 and surgical masks do not guarantee full protection. So there is a chance of getting sick, therefore we must still abide by the 6 feet rule and practice social distancing to protect ourselves. Having said that, both masks are ideally great for catching droplets, which is how this virus spreads. COVID-19 is not an airborne virus. If it was, we would be wearing gas masks in that scenario. But, if a person who has COVID-19 sneezes, that virus droplets are going to hang in the air for a while, before disappearing.

It is also important for people to understand that there are two different types of masks and they have different functions. According to the CDC, Surgical masks are for those who are already sick, and to prevent spreading their sickness to others. N95 masks on the other hand do the opposite. They are for those who are healthy and prevent themselves from getting sick. You can tell the function of each mask by their design. Unlike the N95 masks, surgical masks are loose and are not the best protection for someone who does not want to get sick as the virus can still get past the mask. While N95 are tight around the mouth and nose, keeping the virus out.

Because the panic of the pandemic has caused a serious shortage of N95 masks and surgical masks, this is preventing doctors, nurses, patients from having it and having to recycle old masks that were only supposed to be used once.

In addition to that issue, masks have caused a problem among the deaf community. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing still have to get groceries and supplies like everyone else. But it becomes a problem when they have to communicate and understand what other people are saying in order to get what they need. Now there are some who may be able to communicate in other forms, such as writing, sign language, or have someone else to translate for them and will not have to rely on lip reading to understand what people are saying. However, for those who do not know sign language are by themselves, and are heavily dependent on lipreading, the same thing that protects them becomes a nuisance. What is important to understand is that the deaf or hard-of-hearing person does not need to wear the mask when they are speaking to a person who can hear. It is the person who can hear who has to remove their mask so those who cannot hear can read their lips.

For example, in a previous short post, I mentioned that I went to Coco. While I as ordering, I noticed that they were wearing masks and plastic gloves to protect themselves and other people. However, I was unable to understand what they were saying, over the chatter of the other customers and the music. It took me a while to order my drink. There was a bit of a line after me. After a few frustrating moments, I managed to successfully order. However, there have been days when I have given up and I just let someone else go first or ask a friend or family member to order for me, embarrassingly.

Lipreading is not some magic trick that all deaf and hard-of-hearing persons know how to do. It is a skill that one teaches oneself, unconsciously. Ahmed Khalfa goes into detail in his article He explains that in the English language, there are certain lip movements and shapes that are formed when a person speaks. Between the vowels and consonants, people who are deaf are able to recognize a word or phrase. In addition to that, they can use other body language clues, such as the usage of the hands and more importantly expressions correctly understand what is said. Lipreading is not just staring at lips, its paying attention to subtle cues that a regular person would not focus on.

Lipreading gets difficult when the speaker has a beard or mustache, is speaking too fast, is in a noisy environment, has their back to the deaf person, has a strong accent and/or is covering their mouths. That last one is the main problem that many deaf persons are experiencing in this pandemic. Everyone is wearing a mask or some kind of protection over their mouths, and so it is frustrating for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.

Which is why Laken Brooks, a current graduate student at the University of Florida created a plastic see through surgical mask. The mask may look weird, but it has function. As you can see, the mask’s design to allow to still breathe in spite of the plastic, but provides a clear view of the mouth, allowing a deaf person to lipread with ease.

These see through masks can be the creation and manufacturing of a brand new mask that will aid in further conversations between the deaf and hearing community during this serious time.