Face masks became a problem for the hard of hearing

Hanna Helder studied German language and literature at the Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg. In addition to her studies, she has gained a lot of experience in radio and print journalism through internships and freelance work. She has been at the Burda School of Journalism since October 2018 and writes, among other things, as a trainee for

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Interpreting the facial expressions of the other person under the face mask is not exactly easy - for the hard of hearing and deaf people, however, the entire communication became a challenge.

One of the most important means of communication in everyday life for the hard of hearing and deaf people is lip reading. Since the introduction of the mandatory face mask, even going to the supermarket checkout has become a challenge for those affected.

Exception for the hearing impaired

In contact with people who are hard of hearing, for example, salespeople in the supermarket are allowed to take off their mouthguards at short notice if the other person does not understand them properly. The Essen advice center of the German Association of the Hard of Hearing in North Rhine-Westphalia drew attention to this on Wednesday.

Speech intelligibility suffers as a result of the face mask, and the face of the conversation partner is no longer visible. This means that for many people with hearing loss the limit of "just getting along" is exceeded, the advice center announced.

For the hearing impaired, there are therefore exceptions to the mandatory face mask of the Corona Protection Ordinance NRW. A detailed proof of the hearing impairment, for example by ID, is not necessary, a "plausible statement" is sufficient - for example by referring to a hearing aid.

Hearing loss and deafness

Most people experience hearing loss at an advanced age. But even at a young age, noise, for example, can damage the ears prematurely. In addition, various diseases such as infections or injuries can impair hearing performance.

Deafness (deafness, surditas, anacusis), on the other hand, means the complete lack of hearing. There are numerous reasons for this. Deafness can be congenital or acquired and can be unilateral or bilateral. In many cases, the decisive factor for the prognosis is how early the hearing impairment is recognized and treated. Undetected deafness can lead to serious developmental delays, especially in language, in children in particular. (hh / dpa)

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