How COVID-19 presents a unique set of challenges for deaf people

We are all struggling during this pandemic.

Tens of thousands are dying while millions are losing their jobs.

But for deaf people, it’s an even harder struggle.

Tragically, the coronavirus is creating problems for the deaf and hard of hearing that most people wouldn’t even think about.

Many people have been self-isolating for weeks now, with the rest of the country joining them after the Government made it official. Of course, it’s worth it to flatten the curve, save lives, and protect the NHS, but for deaf people, the problems started almost immediately.

Long before the Government decree, many people started wearing face masks to protect themselves from the virus. Unfortunately for many of the estimated 14 million people in the UK who are deaf or hard of hearing, lip-reading is a vital part of their communication.

To suddenly have everyone’s mouth covered is a genuinely traumatic experience, evocative for some of losing their hearing for the first time.

Every day the Government, both local and national, are giving us live updates on the virus.

To their credit, here in Northern Ireland the Minister is accompanied by two signers, signing in both British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language.

The problem here is, with over 100,000 deaf people in Northern Ireland, only 5,000 use BSL (British Sign Language) and 250 use ISL (Irish Sign Language)!

The vast majority of deaf people in this country rely on subtitles and Closed Captioning for their television viewing, and the lack of CC for these daily reports is shocking.

This means that thousands of deaf people are missing out on or getting outdated information about COVID-19 and the latest in the fight against it.

Once again disabled people in this country are forgotten about, which is why we demand mandatory live captioning for these crucial health updates.

If you would like to get in touch with us about the challenges you are facing during this crisis, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.