Wearing a face mask has become part of daily life for many during the COVID-19 pandemic, and one couple near Kingston is trying to make the practice more inclusive.
A fully covered face mask can make communication hard for the hard of hearing and the deaf community. Students at Western University in London in the fields of audiology and speech pathology started to look online for solutions and started to create the masks.
Some features include the use of shoelaces for ties as elastics can be challenging for those with hearing aids or glasses to wear and for a better fit. Fogging is also an issue so they turned to dish soap by applying a small amount on the inside of the mask once a day.
After the success, the couple started the “Smile Masks Project”. They have created over 100 masks where many were given out in the Napanee, Kingston, and London regions.
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https://www.livescience.com/are-face-masks-effective-reducing-coronavirus-spread.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/cloth-face-coverings-information.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html