How Coronavirus has impacted the Community

 The Coronavirus pandemic, which came to the United States in January, has impacted the deaf and hard-of-hearing community in both positive and negative ways. One of the struggles has been the face masks, which cover the mouth and make it impossible to lip read. Now, to fix this problem, there are accessible face masks. One of the first people to come up with this solution was Apple with the help of Gallaudet University. "The Apple Face Mask is comprised of three layers of filters and is washable for reuse up to five times. ClearMask’s FDA-approved, completely transparent masks show the full face which allows for better and more accessible communication" (Graham). The clear screen allows deaf people to see people's mouth, making it easier to lip read. 

    Another problem the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities faced was access to an interpreter at COVID-19 briefings. "The deaf and hard of hearing community could not understand President Trump's White House press briefings because there was no ASL interpreter" (Norlian). This proved to be a huge problem as some people were unable to understand what was going on with the virus and the policies that dealt with how to handle it. However, there would soon be a success after a lawsuit was filed to get access to an interpreter at all briefings about the Coronavirus. "But now, because of what's being called a historic win stemming from a lawsuit filed in August, the Trump administration must now provide an ASL interpreter at all future coronavirus press briefings" (Norlian). Even though there was a lot of struggle for equal opportunity and access to these communities during the pandemic, some problems were able to be solved. This new win for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities is just one step towards a brighter future. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Developments within the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community

     Over the course of the years, the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities have had a lot of progress that has gained them more access. Different pieces of legislation have also been passed to help these communities. One example of this is the Americans with Disabilities Act also known as the ADA. This piece of legislation, passed in 1990 helped give people hearing problems an easier way to communicate.  The impact was monumental. Employers were no longer allowed to discriminate against those who were deaf or HOH. Relay services allowed some to make phone calls for the very first time, no longer needing to rely on hearing friends and neighbors call their cable company or make a doctor’s appointment. Captions appeared below the anchors during the nightly news, and schools and hospitals began providing interpretation services for those who use American Sign Language. The communication chasm between the hearing and non-hearing worlds began to narrow (Robyn Correll)....
Read more

Issues Facing the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community Today

     The challenges facing the deaf and hard-of-hearing community have been going on for some time. According to an article by Robyn Correll, MPH, "When a big storm destroyed Ben Soukup Sr.'s farm in 1960, he went to banks all over town to get a loan to rebuild. Every one of them denied his application for one simple reason: He was deaf" (Correll). While there have been laws passed to help the community, they still face different problems today. They deal with issues such as mental health and prejudice. Parts of the community often find themselves struggling with having access to proper mental health help. " Mental health services are difficult for deaf people to access. One small study involving 54 people found that more than half hadn't been able to find mental health services that they, as deaf people, could use" (Marcia Purse). Not only are mental health services hard to access, being deaf can lead to these issues as well. It's a horrible cycle that ...
Read more