The Challenges Of Communicating With A Mask While Hearing-Impaired
The COVID-19 pandemic has made the importance of face masks apparent because they can significantly reduce or eliminate the transfer of virus-containing respiratory droplets. For people who have hearing impairments or hearing loss, however, wearing face masks can pose a barrier to communication whether they are wearing hearing aids or not. Face masks can change the volume of sound from speaking and the clarity and tone of the words that are spoken. They can muffle sounds. People who have learned to...