The masks also prevent deaf and hard of hearing individuals from reading facial expressions, which can be challenging since facial expressions are similar to tone of voice in American Sign Language.

Health care workers wearing masks have also encountered the issue with patients who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. One system where masks are essential is offering a "see through" solution.

"Really, I don't feel barriers most of the time in my day-to-day life," Secord said while speaking through an interpreter who translated from American Sign Language using FaceTime. "With the masks ...

Mask wearing affected my use of sign language as well: The facial expressions so important for conveying grammatical meaning in ASL had also vanished behind walls of fabric.

Close to 15 percent of the adult US population reports some difficulty hearing—an issue that’s gotten little attention as mask wearing becomes the necessary new norm.

The deaf and hard of hearing community relies on reading lips for communication with others. Face masks are making it difficult amid coronavirus.

Coronavirus Face coverings inhibit ASL instruction during COVID, so schools have turned to clear masks Updated: Mar. 15, 2021, 8:00 a.m. | Published: Mar. 15, 2021, 8 ...

The TSD said it is developing a plan for mask use following CDC and county guidelines, saying it is important to have visual access for American Sign Language grammar.

For the more than 1.1 million Arizonans who are Deaf or hard of hearing, face masks have made it almost impossible to communicate with those who aren’t familiar with American Sign language.

KBIA - The Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing announced today that they’re making clear, accessible masks available to Missourians.

And when in-person therapy resumed, masking requirements made it difficult. Some of the dozen-plus speech and language therapists I spoke with said children found the masks distracting.

In 2017 — long before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the world — the Baltimore-based company ClearMask launched a line of transparent surgical masks to improve communication between people w… ...