I had been approached by BBC Radio 4 earlier today (Wednesday 15th July), to give my opinion on what it’s like for deaf people and the difficulties we face now that face masks are becoming mandatory.

Below is the transcript of my interview, and you can also click here to listen to the interview in full. My segment starts at 24:30 and I would love to know your thoughts on this incredibly important issue? Let’s carry on the conversation over on my Twitter or Instagram.

TRANSCRIPT FOR MY INTERVIEW WITH BBC RADIO 4 REGARDING THE DIFFICULTIES OF FACE MASKS FOR DEAF PEOPLE

“Since people now have to start wearing masks it’s made me feel a lot more anxious about going and about in public, especially into shops because I just don’t know how I’m as deaf person going to be able to understand people.

Because I do rely on lip-reading, and facial expressions/facial movements play a big part in this as well. So if there’s big face masks covering half of people’s faces, then that is something that me personally, and lots of other deaf people, are really going to struggle with.

I recently went into a shop and one of the store assistants was wearing a face mask. So I went to the till and I was just buying like groceries, food shopping or whatever - because they were wearing a face mask I didn’t really understand what they were saying so I was sort of you know, looking a bit confused and a bit puzzled but then I started to notice that the cashier store assistant was getting quite annoyed and irritated by the fact that I kept saying “pardon”, sorry” , “what” , but because it was embarrassing for me – and I wish I hadn’t done this – but I just didn’t really say anything and I just paid for my things and then I just walked away, where really I wish that I would’ve had the confidence to be able to speak up and say ‘you know what, I am deaf, and it’s hard for me to be able to understand what you’re saying because you are wearing a face mask’, but in a public setting it’s just a very difficult situation to be in.

During this pandemic, one hundred percent in my opinion deaf people have been completely forgotten about. When all of the daily briefings were being held on the TV, all across the world there were all these sign language interpreters, however here in the United Kingdom, that was not the case. It was only because there was relentless campaigning from deaf people, deaf organisations, petitions being signed, that the government sort of sat up and realised, ‘oh, oops,' we have forgotten about deaf people, maybe we do need to have a sign language interpreter for the daily briefings?’ But this was months later and I do feel now with the face masks and face coverings as well, why hasn’t the government stepped in and made it a regulation for clear masks to be invented and given out?”

Huge thank you to the team at BBC Radio 4 and Evan Davis for approaching me to give my opinion on this and for accommodating to my needs by allowing me to record my answers via Voicenote so that I didn’t have to struggle via the phone or ‘Zoom’!