Reopening Petition + Where to Buy Clear Masks
The Government has recently announced that facemasks will be reintroduced in secondary school classrooms in England until at least 26th January. This now adds to the existing rules that masks are mandatory in school communal areas. For many young people with hearing loss, like myself, our return to school is once again an anxious one.
Masks are a big communication barrier, taking away the ability to lip-read. This means that many of us will continue to struggle to understand our friends, our classmates and our teachers. It will impact our access to education, and for some, it will have a negative effect on their mental health. The reason why I have decided to reopen this petition is to raise awareness of the benefits of clear masks, and the current struggles that students with hearing loss and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are facing in the school environment. I strongly believe that the government has not done enough to support and acknowledge the needs of students with hearing loss and SEND throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and I now call on them to conduct an official review into the impact their measures have had on these groups of students during this period.
The current DfE guidance for schools states that teachers are now ‘not ordinarily expected’ to wear a face covering when they are teaching at the front of the class, and that those communicating with a lip-reader are exempt from mask-wearing. However, in practice, this may not happen for a variety of reasons - lack of awareness, for example, or perhaps because of personal concerns about health and safety. One very easy way around this is to encourage schools to purchase clear masks for teaching staff, classmates and friends to wear.
Two clear masks have recently been approved for use in NHS hospitals across the UK. These are the Contechs Medical and Alpha Solway clear masks. You may have to contact their sales teams to purchase them. As these have been tested and ratified by the Department for Health and Social Care, it goes without saying that these masks are a safe substitute for normal masks. There are some other businesses that also sell clear masks that may be suitable. For example, the ClearExpression, Panoramic Mio-Mask, and the EcoTextura clear masks.
To learn more about Deaf Awareness, and for information and advice regarding the current Government guidelines, the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) have an excellent blog you can read here. For support for young people, the new NDCS Buzz website has a safe forum to connect with other deaf young people across the country.
Thank you for your support in signing this petition. Please share this petition and information with as many people as you can. #KeepItClear
Dinah :)