Communication problems for the deaf community during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Lisa Myhand, a deaf mentor at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center in Fort Myers discusses the communications challenges many in the deaf and hard of hearing community are facing during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Myhand tells us, communication has become almost impossible.

REACH OUT TO HIM, YOU CAN FINDHIS CONTACT INFORMATION ON THECITY OF NAPLES WEBSITE.TONIGHT WE’RE BRINGING TO YOURATTENTION THE STRUGGLES ONECOMMUNITY IS FACING, THAT IS THEDEAF COMMUNITY.

AS MASKREQUIREMENTS BECOME MROEPREVALENT THE LACK OFCOMMUNICATION POSES A MAJORISSUEIN A FOX 4 EXCLUSIVE, FOUR INYOUR CORNERS LESLIE DELASBOURSPEAKS WITH ONE WOMAN WHO ISDEAF, AND SAYS WAYS TOCOMMUNICATE ARE BECOMING MOREDIFFICULT.(33-46)IN ORDER TO COMABT THE SPREAD OFCOVID 19 THE CDC HAS ENCOURAGEDEVERYONE TO WEAR A MASK,LIMITING THE SPREAD OF AIRDROPELTS THAT COULD BE PASSEDTHROUGH SPEAKING, SNEEZING, ORCOUGHING.

FOR THOSE OF US IN THEHEARING COMMUNITY, IT HAS MADECOMMUNICATING MUCH DIFFERENT,BUT FOR THOSE IN THE DEAF ANDHARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY, ITSMADE COMMUNICATING ALMOSTIMPOSSIBLE.I SAT DOWN WITH LISA MYHAND ADEAF MENTOR AT THE DEAF AND HARDOF HEARING CENTER IN FORT MYERSWHO SAYS, PUBLIC INTERACTIONDURING THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN ACHALLENGEthe reason that’s it difficuwith deaf people is that thosethat depend on lip reading tocommunicate aren’t able to seesomeones facial expression whenthey are wearing a mask likethisMYHAND TELLS ME FOR THE FIRSTTIME, SHE NOW HAS TROUBLEGROCERY SHOPPINGi love to go to publix and a lotof people know me very well, andnow when you go up you cantreally see that facialexpression.

Sometimes peoplehave been forced to pull theirmasks down in order to let mesee their smile or to make somecomment interactions.RIGHT NOW THERE IS A HUGEDISCONNECT FOR THE DEAFCOMMUNITY, AND MANY ARE NOWFORCED TO USE OTHER ALTERNATIVESTO COMMUNICATE, THAT STILL POSEDIFFICULTY"we might have to depend onreading, writing but that can bedifficult"some deaf people aren’t veryskilled at reading englishbecause its not their firstlanguage, their first languageis american sign languageAS MANY BUSINESSES AND LOCALAREAS CONTINUE TO ENFORCE MASKSMANDATES MYHAND ENCOURAGES THOSENOT APART OF THE DEAF COMMUNITYTO BE FLEXIBLE STARTING WITHHAVING A PEN AND PAPER HANDY ANDMORE ..so were asking anyone if theycould possible get somethingthat would have a clear visionof peoples mouths, so that thosethat do depend on lip read