The problem with masks
Thursday 3 December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), an annual celebration of people with disabilities.
Throughout this week, as part of our IDPD coverage, our Disability steering group will be bringing you personal stories from colleagues who either have a disability themselves – both visible and otherwise – or experience of looking after someone with a disability.
In our second story of today focusing on hearing loss, Jaime Harrison, senior business partner, talks about her condition, Otosclerosis, and the problem with face masks for people with hearing loss.
‘Otosclerosis is a condition where the three tiny bones deep inside the ear that vibrate when sound waves enter, calcify and stop vibrating,’ said Jaime, who is completely deaf in her right ear. ‘This means that sound is no longer transmitted into the inner ear efficiently.
‘It is a degenerative disease present from birth, but the calcification happens so slowly that most people don’t realise they are losing their hearing until they are in their late 20s or early 30s. I was 29 when a friend commented on how loud my TV was. I went for a check-up and was given the news that I would be completely deaf by the age of 45. The condition really effects the lower range so the deeper the voice or sound, the harder it is to hear.
‘After my diagnosis, I started wearing hearing aids and doing a lot of research. I found that at the time, there were only six surgeons in the UK who could perform a stapedectomy – a very delicate operation to remove the “stapes” bone – which is the smallest bone in the body and the innermost of the three hearing bones in your middle ear – and replace it with a titanium version. They only operate on the worst ear initially as the operation carries a significant risk of instant deafness.
‘I had the operation on Harley Street in early 2011 and thanks to my amazing surgeon, I now have full hearing in my left ear. I only realised that I hadn’t been able to hear bird song for years when I suddenly heard it again. I’m now completely deaf in my right ear, but as soon as I can fit it in, I’ll go and have another operation.
‘The pandemic and wearing of face masks have had a significant impact on my ability to lip read. It’s even more difficult to hear people through a mask. I would personally encourage the use of clear face masks for anyone working with colleagues who have a hearing impairment.’
Across the UK, at least 11 million people are deaf or hard of hearing. Due to the current national adoption of masks and other facial coverings, many of these people are now finding it much harder to communicate.
Masks cover the mouth and face and, by doing so, prevent people from lipreading or from subconsciously using mouth shapes and facial expressions to assist in accurately hearing and following what is being said.
And it is not just people with deafness who are struggling – the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists has highlighted the potential impact of masks on others with communication challenges, including people with aphasia, autism, dementia or learning disabilities.
Supporting our people
As one of the UK’s biggest employers, we are committed to putting equality and diversity at the heart of our business. Call our internal disability helpline on 0800 028 6142 for advice if you are a disabled colleague or manager looking for support with organising reasonable adjustments.
If you have any questions you would like to raise directly with the network, or you would like information on how to obtain support or advice on managing someone with a disability, please email Disabilitysteeringgroup@royalmail.com.
Don’t forget, if you’re interested in joining the Disability conversation, the group has a Facebook page. Please email Disabilitysteeringgroup@royalmail.com and let them know the email address you normally use to sign into Facebook and your payroll number. You’ll then be sent an invitation to join.
