To mark #WorldHearingDay 2021, we spoke to our friends at Age Scotland about the impact the pandemic has had on deaf and hard of hearing people. Age Scotland support older people, many of whom have hearing loss. We shared our experiences of face masks, and why we believe clear masks can play a huge part in improving communication for deaf and …

New Scottish Government regulations on the extended use of face masks in wider community care and adult care homes came into force on Wednesday 30 September 2020. The guidance states all providers of primary and community care must wear Type IIR fluid resistant masks in the workplace, which are typically opaque. At Deaf Action, we’re concerned about the impact this …

 Since we last updated you on our Clear Masks for All campaign, our supporters have contacted their MSPs (you can still do this online via our last blog post) and the issue has also been raised in an oral question to the First Minister. It’s a promising update, and we’re monitoring things closely as we continue to work with other …

Update on Deaf Action’s campaign from Philip Gerrard, CEO Back in May, Deaf Action was featured on BBC Breakfast, where we shared our concerns around what the use of face masks can mean for deaf people – especially those who rely on lipreading and facial expressions to communicate. Now, on Friday, a new rule comes into place that sees them …

The increasingly widespread use of face masks during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is presenting significant challenges for deaf and hard of hearing people who rely on non-verbal cues, facial expressions and lip reading to communicate. With the government making recommendations that face masks and face coverings are worn as lock-down is relaxed, it is worried that deaf people will struggle …