FOX

Providing some clarity for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The American School for the Deaf has been looking for options as his staff and students navigate their way through the pandemic.

EST HARTFORD, Conn. — Face masks have become commonplace since Covid-19 overtook our lives but the standard masks are not one-size fits all, especially for the deaf community. 

Jeff Bravin, the executive director at the American School for the Deaf, has been looking for other options as his staff and students navigate their way through the pandemic. “Deaf individuals rely heavily on facial expressions,” Bravin said through an interpreter. “A mask blocks those facial expressions so you see just the eyes, not the full face.”

Bravin has been in touch with a Baltimore based company called “ClearMask” – which is exactly what is sounds like – A transparent anti fog, plastic film mask that will make communication for the deaf and hard of hearing easier. “Having a clear mask will really help with lip reading and comprehension,” Bravin said. But he added that there are acoustic barriers that dampen the auditory system. 

The hope is, for the fall semester at the American School for the Deaf, the students will have an ample supply of transparent masks to help them better communicate. Bravin said, “we want to make their lives as normal as possible so I will do everything I can to think outside of the box.”

The hope is that the American School for the Deaf will have many more masks like this for the fall semester.

Founded in 1817, the American School for the Deaf was the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States.