Hearing Impaired People Break Down How Mask Policies Have Impacted Their Daily Life
Wearing a mask is a non-negotiable measure that we all need to take in order to stem the spread of the most prolific and deadly pandemic in modern history. It is also a complete and utter pain in the keister.
Let's just consider some of the new discoveries we've all been forced to unveil since regularly mask wearing hit the scene.
First, humidity. Face moistening, inside an outhouse at a music festival air temperature right in your face. And second, the brutal recognition that one's breath is not on par with the aromas of a Yankee candle or some amazing cuisine. It's actually horrible.
And for most of us, that's as far as the difficulties go. The mask is a new discomfort, a mere annoyance.
But for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, the mask is a serious problem. When lip reading and facial expression are primary means of communication, a sudden shield is devastating.
A recent Reddit thread explored the ways mask-wearing has effected the daily lives of that community.
zugtug asked, "Hearing impaired or lip reading people, how have Corona mask policies affected your daily life?"
As Bad As You'd Think
"Its absolutely awful. I have trouble in places with a lot of background noise and have to read lips. My wife helps me out a lot but she can't go with me everywhere."
"It's very frustrating."
-- xnsst
The Sounds of Charlie Brown's Parents
"Stranger: blahblah blah blaaah mmph...you?"
"Me: ....."
"Stranger: blahblah blaaah blaaah..mmph...YOU?"
"Me: ...uhhhhh....yeeeaaaaaa?"
"Stranger: .......you did?"
"Me: running away"
"Don't Be Mad At Me!"
"It's hell. When asking people to speak louder, they usually end up really yelling." -- lismez
"Which doesn't help because their speech is super muffled so it's just blurred together angry noises" -- bozwizard14
"My mom has this gift where she can speak loud enough for you to hear her on the other side of the house (not a small house, but not giant) without sounding like she's crazy mad and without hurting her voice."
"It's my main proof for mom magic." -- DogsBCoolBro
A Good Analysis
"Sign languages without facial expressions it's not as useful as with, and just emphasize them with eyes it's not enough. I'm a sign language interpreter and me, like all my colleagues, always end up with increase the distance and pull down the face mask."
"There's no other way, with the mask up it's as if a part of the grammatical structure of the language is missing and therefore there would still be a flaw in the communication."
-- The_Sherpa
Secondary Ramifications
"I wear hearing aids and even then sometimes it's hard to get people. But I'll usually say that I wear them and they will make an effort to speak up or speak more clearly."
"What sucks a** is hearing aids, masks, and glasses day. My ears are like WTF bruh? Or the damn string gets twisted in my hearing aid and when I pull the mask off it'll take then hearing aid with it. Then I'm like oh f*** these things are not cheap at all."
-- Thatdewd57
Seeing Sound
"I'm not even hearing impaired, and I've noticed how much I rely on reading lips." -- The_Sherpa
"People always ask me why I put my glasses on when they're talking to me. 'You don't need your glasses to hear' and I'd say, sure I do, I can hear better if I can see your lips moving, even if I'm not actually reading your lips." -- chiefgareth
This Man Person Has Seven Jobs
"I'm a bit hard of hearing. I can hear sounds just fine. A mouse farts two blocks away and it wakes me up. Human speech however is hard to discern. A lot of it sounds like a loud mumble."
"I need to see lips move to help me figure out what the hell is being said. I hate to ask people to say it again so I just smile and say 'yep.' "
"I have no idea what all I've 'agreed' to over the years."
Breaching the Wall
"I can't understand anything people are saying to me anymore. I always have to move to the side of the screens that are up at businesses, or lean really close to people talking."
"I know I shouldn't because of social distancing, but I have to or there's no way I know what people are saying."
Months of Ringing
"It's been a nightmare. I can barely chat with my customers and coworkers because of it, and have taken to the polite 'oh okay' sort of noises. I miss talking and feel like I've decayed."
"On top of that, the only mask that works for me is the kind you tie behind your head. Problem is, if something gets too close to my hearing aid, it starts to whistle, and the mask straps constantly trigger that."
"So even when I am trying to talk to someone, or a customer ambushes me with a question, half of what I'll hear is a faint constant drone in my ear."
-- jenamac
Be Aware!
"My girlfriend is hearing impaired and this is something she really struggles with. I'm usually interpret for her and answer questions for her when possible."
"Thanks for asking the question, I think a lot of people wouldn't even think about this, so it's nice to get it out there so people can be more understanding of our hard of hearing friends."
-- AllForNicky
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Unfortunately, not everybody gets to keep all five senses throughout their lifetimes.
Some people will lose their sight, some their taste, some feeling in their fingers and toes. Still yet, some will lose their hearing. And after a lifetime of knowing what that is like, losing it can be devastating.
u/_jaysco_ asked:
Deaf people of reddit who used to be able to hear, what sounds do you miss the most?
Here were some of those answers.
Pete Buttigieg Responds In Sign Language To Supporter Who Created A Way To Sign 'Buttigieg'
South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg is a polyglot who can speak seven languages, and now we can add an eighth to his already impressive resume.
When a deaf supporter created the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for Pete Buttigieg in a video, the Democratic presidential candidate responded in sign language to express his gratitude.
Mayor Pete's charm and intelligence knows no bounds.
Anderson Pleasants, who describes himself as deaf and hard of hearing on his Twitter profile, posted his demonstration of the ASL sign he came up with for Buttigieg, inspired by Buttigieg's campaign logo evocative of a bridge.
"Given his new logo has the imagery of a bridge and 'build bridges, not walls",' his sign name is P 'bridged' across the chest to B!"
Buttigieg thanked Pleasants for his thoughtful gesture a week later and responded with a hand-wave emoji and a special message in ASL.
@pleasantandy π https://t.co/nMxGk2u76Vβ Pete Buttigieg (@Pete Buttigieg) 1556126794
Daily Beast reporter Scott Bixby translated Buttigieg's message:
"Hi Andy β thank you for your support, thanks."
Translation: βHi Andy β thank you for your support, thanks.β A Deaf friendβs verdict: βNot bad!!!β https://t.co/I083EJ4xBMβ Scott Bixby (@Scott Bixby) 1556130029
Pleasants even created a sign for Buttigieg's husband, Chasten.
Upon receiving the mayor's heartfelt message, Pleasants said he teared up.
"It means so much to see a major Presidential candidate actively reach across the communication divide to include those like me, especially in a society where the burden of that divide so often rests on the Deaf individual."
Pleasants added:
"Keep signing the sign & walking the walk!"
The general consensus is that Buttigieg is compassionate and inspiring.
@pleasantandy Every day @PeteButtigieg does something that makes me love him more. πβ€οΈ#PeteButtigieg #Pete2020 #PeteForAmericaβ Clara for Sec. Buttigieg & Naruhina πππβοΈπ§‘ (@Clara for Sec. Buttigieg & Naruhina πππβοΈπ§‘) 1556137922
@CCorjulo @pleasantandy @PeteButtigieg Welcome to the club! Just when you think you can't respect him any more, heβ¦ https://t.co/0WbkhhoPgoβ Angel (PA For Pete) (@Angel (PA For Pete)) 1556143511
@pleasantandy It means so much to me too, Andy. My son completely lost hearing in his left ear when he was 10 and nβ¦ https://t.co/NGVrMlCkiYβ High Street Team (@High Street Team) 1556133826
High marks were given from someone who understands ASL.
@pleasantandy @Chas10Buttigieg As a former ASL interpreter, Iβm very pleased to see this! Yet another language on his list. π€πΌβ Fan of πΊπ¦ ππ· π (@Fan of πΊπ¦ ππ· π) 1556139148
And Oscar winning actress Marlee Matlin weighed in as well with kudos for Pete reaching out to the deaf community.
Well, @PeteButtigieg, you're the first candidate for President that I've ever seen sign. Bravo! And @pleasantandy Iβ¦ https://t.co/sGcw0bJ82vβ Marlee Matlin (@Marlee Matlin) 1556130801
As did America's Next Top Model and Dancing With the Stars winner Nyle DiMarco.
The youngest person in the Democratic race last impressed people with his language skills when he expressed his condolences and solidarity with the people of Paris for the Notre Dame cathedral fire.
In French, Buttigieg told a French reporter:
"To the people of France, I would like to say that Notre Dame Cathedral was like a gift to the human race. We share in the pain but we also thank you for this gift to civilization."
@pleasantandy @Chas10Buttigieg Itβs so refreshing to see someone be genuinely inclusive to all people. This is just wonderful.β Howard Forman (@Howard Forman) 1556145635
@pleasantandy @Chas10Buttigieg Ok Mayor Pete. You are winning my heart and mind. Thank you for being decent and kind.β susanbd1 (@susanbd1) 1556142726
The "millennial candidate" is proficient in seven languages, including Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Maltese, Arabic, Dari and French.
He was likely inspired to learn multiple language from his linguist mother, Jennifer Anne Montgomery, who was a professor at Notre Dame for 30 years, according to Heavy.
Buttigieg also taught himself Norwegian so that he could learn to read more books from his favorite Norwegian novelist, Erlend Loe.
@PeteButtigieg @pleasantandy Changing the world, one connection at a time. π https://t.co/HSmaVwyHROβ High Street Team (@High Street Team) 1556130315
His intentional multilingualism and willingness to communicate with different demographics and marginalized communities shows that this 2020 presidential candidate is well-versed at speaking from the heart.
You can learn ASL too. Check out this handy spiral-bound guide to American Sign Language. Be like Pete!
The world is already hard enough to comprehend when you're drunk. Have you ever tried using a door intoxicated? It's like you'd need to be some sort of wizard-level locksmith to get it open. Now, imagine handling all of your communicative needs with your hands. Yeah, that'd be just a tad rougher.
Reddit user, u/onequalityboy, wanted to know the easiest slip-ups that happen when they asked:
Deaf community of reddit, what are the stereotypical alcohol induced communication errors when signing with a drunk person?
Wisconsin Lawmaker Has Refused To Cut His Hair Until A Bill For The Deaf Community Passes, And Now He Looks Totally Different
State Representative Jonathan Brostoff is taking an unconventional approach to advocating for legislative protection for the deaf community.
The Democrat who represents the UW-Milwaukee area in Wisconsin is refusing to cut his hair until lawmakers pass a measure he co-authored in 2017 that addresses the state's shortage of qualified sign language interpreters.
The measure never made it beyond the committee in the Senate despite unanimous bipartisan support, so Brostoff is letting down his hair to make an important statement.
So far what he admitted to as a "spur of the moment" decision has turned into a year-long standoff with shears.
"I'm making a commitment, and it's kind of a visual indicator to the community," he told the Huffington Post.
Aware of his unkempt appearance, he is hoping he can take shears to scalp in the not-too-distant future but is willing to hold off for as long as necessary.
"My looks are important to me, but this is a priority and I'm not stopping this until we get it done. And we will get it done. For my sake, we have to get it done because I look ridiculous."
His mission is a personal one, according to Journal Sentinel. While he worked in Washington as an intern for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the Democrat, then sporting a buzz-cut, became close friends with two other interns who happened to be deaf, and he even took up sign language.
He is using his growing locks as a visual reminder to fulfill his promise to crack down on illegal interpretive services and to strengthen protections for deaf citizens with high-quality sign language services in medical and legal situations.
"I said, look, I'm not cutting my hair until we get this done. Every time you see me, it's a visual indicator that we're going to keep working on this. And for myself, it's a daily reminder that I'm not going to forget this."
The Facebook photo of the state Assembly Rep. below is from three years ago, before his decision to grow out his locks.
His wife Diana Vang-Brostoff used to trim his hair on a monthly basis, but as far as she is concerned, his new look has grown on her.
"It's cute. I really want him to put it in a ponytail, but he won't do that."
Former Rep. Joel Kleefisch, a Republican who worked on the 2017 measure, commented that Brostoff's hair was "channeling the spirit of Bob Ross," referring to the famous Joy of Painting artist with similarly dark and curly locks.
A very self-aware Brostoff even dressed the part for Halloween. His wife Diane is pictured here as a gumball machine.
Despite commenting on the resemblance to the famed painter, Kleefisch wholeheartedly endorsed his former colleague's important mission.
"It's a commitment, is what it is. That hair is a commitment for him."
His friends expressed how proud they were. One even gave a hair tip.
Jonathan Brostoff/Facebook
Jonathan Brostoff/Facebook
Jonathan Brostoff/Facebook
Jonathan Brostoff/Facebook
Jonathan Brostoff/Facebook
Brostoff is hopeful the bill gets passed in the upcoming months, and he's planning ahead.
"In fact, we're going to have a party for it. I've told some of the stakeholders I've been working with, we're throwing down! And I'll let you guys cut it."
Let's get this bill passed soon, shall we? Chop chop!