Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It’s Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Face masks make it impossible for deaf people to lip-read what others are saying. Fortunately, someone came up with a solution. 42-year-old graphic designer Justine Bate from Manchester made face masks with plastic windows over the mouth to help herself and her 10-year-old daughter, Teona. Both mom and daughter are deaf. However, the masks quickly became popular when people heard about them.

Justine has been absolutely swamped with orders after she came up with the design and showed them off on social media. She was worried that Teona would have problems communicating with her friends at school if she couldn’t see how people’s lips are moving. Now, Justine’s making a lot of other people’s lives better, not just her family’s.

Her 50-year-old husband Carl, who is also her carer, wears a see-through mask, too. Justine sold 42 of her masks on May 27 alone. They cost only 5.99 pounds (and that even includes packaging and postage). According to Carl, they can’t make the masks fast enough!

Justine Bate designed face masks with plastic windows over the mouth to help deaf people lip read what others are saying

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: Justine DB

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: SWNS

Her masks became very popular and she’s been flooded with requests ever since

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: SWNS

She and her husband, Carl, have been busy making the masks nonstop

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: SWNS

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: SWNS

The masks cost only 5.99 pounds each (and that includes everything, including postage and packaging)

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: Justine DB

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: Justine DB

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: Justine DB

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: Justine DB

Justine initially made the masks to help her 10-year-old daughter who is also deaf

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Image credits: Justine DB

It’s not just deaf people who want to get their hands on one of Justine’s masks. The family’s getting a lot of orders for people with dementia and children with certain types of autism who are scared of folks who walk around with full face masks on.

“It was not to do with making money, it was to do with doing something for our daughter for making her life easier,” Justine’s husband Carl told SWNS. “It’s been so overwhelming. She’s a bit apprehensive but she’s been honest with people that it’s not PPE quality as there is no filter.”

Carl pointed out that the deaf community can be a tough place to socialize; the see-through masks help bring deaf people together. “The amount of people who have come up to her and asked for these masks is quite overwhelming. She’s loving the fact that she’s helping others make a better quality of life in this situation,” he said.

He also stressed that they can’t put a filter in the masks because of the clear plastic: “You are defeating the object of the plastic.”

It took the family around 4 days of testing out different styles before they got their final mask design right. “It wasn’t easy. I had my ways of doing it and she’s got her way—but her way was the best way.”

People loved Justine’s design and complimented her

Deaf Mom Creates Clear Masks For Lip Reading, Quickly Learns It's Useful For People From Various Backgrounds

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

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What do you think ?

POST

Dorothy Parker 4 years ago (edited)

Deaf mom watches the news and takes the idea from a deaf college student. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/this-college-student-is-sewing-face-masks-designed-for-the-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-community/

11points

Nicky OldfieldDesciple 4 years ago

They were also talking about this on the BBC news in England.

2points

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Rissie 4 years ago

Also, people for up with similar ideas when faced with similar problems.

0points

Lsai Aeon 4 years ago

Deaf mom is in Europe somewhere I seriously doubt she watches the kentucky news

0points

Night Owl 4 years ago (edited)

Good idea. I'm only worried it gets fogged up and then you can't see through it anymore (and you get less air through it too)

8points

Sergio Bicerra 4 years ago

Saw a video of a doctor using dry soap on his glasses. Maybe this method can be used on these too.

2points

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Gin 4 years ago

It works if you're wearing a mask only to comply with the rules, but not for protection. Sorry to put this idea down, but a mask must be properly fitted, with no gaps, sewing stitches (especially around the nose) lets the virus go through, the material itself must filter the air, therefore one must breathe through the material, not the gaps. Unfortunately, this mask is not properly fitted (visible gaps around the nose) and if it would be, it'd make it very hard to breathe through as most of it is air-proof plastic. Also, lots of stitching and it will fog up. Looking forward to see (semi)clear PPE-grade filter material that could actually be used for protective masks.

4points

Lynda Momalo 4 years ago

These serve the same purpose as cloth masks -- to keep the wearer from spreading the virus through their nose or mouth. No masks worn by the general public protect the wearer much, nor are they intended to.

3points

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POST

Dorothy Parker 4 years ago (edited)

Deaf mom watches the news and takes the idea from a deaf college student. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/this-college-student-is-sewing-face-masks-designed-for-the-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-community/

11points