Where to buy transparent coverings for people with hearing problems

While not as widely available as cloth face coverings, you can find transparent face masks online: iStock
While not as widely available as cloth face coverings, you can find transparent face masks online: iStock

The UK government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have both advised wearing face coverings in a bid to reduce the infection transmission of Covid-19.

As of 15 June, face coverings have been mandatory in England while using public transport, in Ubers and in hospitals. The new rules mean that anyone travelling by train, Tube, bus, ferry or plane in England should be wearing a face covering.

From 22 June, Scotland has made it compulsory for people to wear face coverings on all public transport too, including the Glasgow Subway, Edinburgh trams and taxis. Those under five and with certain medical conditions are exempt.

We’ve covered everything you need to know about when and where to use face coverings, where to buy them from to how to wash one in our face mask buying guide.

But what’s not being talked about is the problems that covering your mouth can cause for deaf people and those who have hearing problems and communicate through lip-reading. This has a detrimental affect on the 12 million people in the UK who are deaf or have hearing loss.

Transparent face masks have also slowly started becoming available to help prevent this issue, though they are not yet as widely-accessible as other face coverings we are all buying or making at home.

Of course this is a problem within hospitals too, where NHS staff will be wearing medical face masks, but patients with hearing problems will struggle to communicate. To combat this a Swiss startup company, Hmcare, has begun developing transparent – and importantly, breathable and won’t fog up – surgical face masks, called the HelloMask, which recently secured £820,000 in funding.

These are only available for hospital staff, though, and at the moment the only masks for the public are available from independent sellers on sites like Etsy. Although change is coming.

Nine UK charities; National Deaf Children’s Society, Action on Hearing Loss, Royal Association for Deaf people, Action Deafness, British Deaf Association, Sign Health, British Association of Teachers of the Deaf, Sense and the UK Council on Deafness, are also rallying together to encourage Public Health England and NHS England to commission transparent face masks that will stop those with hearing loss or total deafness feeling isolated.

Ahead we’ve found transparent face masks you can buy online and how to communicate effectively with those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

The difficulties those with hearing loss face

Roger Wicks, director of campaigns and policy at London-based charity, Action on Hearing Loss, told The Independent: “Many people who are deaf or have hearing loss rely heavily on visual cues for effective communication including facial expressions and lip-reading.

“Being able to see lip patterns and facial expressions are also vital for those who communicate through British Sign Language. Words which sound similar but have different meanings become very difficult to distinguish and face coverings are a big barrier to this.”

Wicks revealed that Action on Hearing Loss has successfully been working with the Department for Transport to call on more guidance for exemptions to wearing face masks while on public transports. When the government unveiled the new rules for mandatory face mask-wearing, there were exemptions for those under the age of 11 and people with disabilities or breathing problems, or anyone travelling with someone who lip-reads.

“It is vital these exemptions are communicated to transport staff and the travelling public – many disabled people fear they may be abused in the street for not following social distancing guidelines, and the public need to understand that there are numerous legitimate reasons for not wearing a mask,” he adds.

How the general public can be helpful

Action on Hearing Loss created an information card with tips for people with hearing loss and advice for the general public and has a section on its website dedicated to providing tips for the general public.

Ian Noon, head of policy at the National Deaf Children’s Society recommends helping by using gestures, writing things down or just asking a deaf person how they’d like to communicate.

“We’d also like to see governments across the UK taking action to make clear face masks widely available, as they would remove some of the barriers to communication… this is a huge opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives” he added.

Philip Gerrard, CEO of Scottish charity Deaf Action, also told The Independent that while there are prototypes of masks with face windows that keep your lips visible, the charity would like to see more.

“Wearing face masks results in deaf people being cut off from communication in everyday life as well as in critical health care settings. We have seen deaf members of staff not being able to understand simple instructions when attending Covid-19 drive through testing facilities, because the care worker is wearing a mask two metres from the vehicle.

“We would like to see the government support the development of PPE approved transparent masks so they are available in care settings as well as in the wider community.”

Where to buy transparent face masks

Online retailer Etsy has many options for different styles of transparent face masks, in varying designs, patterns and colours, such as this vinyl protecting mask (Etsy, £5.84).

Wearing a clear face mask will make those who have hearing feel less isolated (Etsy)
Wearing a clear face mask will make those who have hearing feel less isolated (Etsy)

You can customise the trims too, choosing from colours like mint, red, purple and white. The main mask is made with soft vinyl and has a nose fixer to keep it securely on your face. According to the seller, it’s reusable and can be washed and ironed too.

For a bright burst of floral decoration, these smile masks (Etsy, £11.68) have a selection of flower-patterned, denim and pastel polka dots styles, made from 100 per cent cotton, with adjustable jersey material ear straps.

You can also find transparent masks in different colours and patterns (Etsy)
You can also find transparent masks in different colours and patterns (Etsy)

This transparent vinyl protecting mask (Etsy, £8.34) has a double-layered cotton frame which you choose the colour of.

Etsy is home to many handmade clear face masks which are a godsend if you're struggling to find them elsewhere online (Etsy)
Etsy is home to many handmade clear face masks which are a godsend if you’re struggling to find them elsewhere online (Etsy)

It is also designed with a nose fixer too, to limit it moving around when you’re wearing it and is available in sizes small to extra-large.

For sweet prints such as little foxes or bouquets of flowers, this lip-reading clear smile mask (Etsy, 20.95) allows you to choose from vibrant, playful patterns. It has a soft vinyl window and double-layered 100 per cent cotton lining.

There's a growing selection of clear masks with bold and bright colours or patterns to choose from (Etsy)
There’s a growing selection of clear masks with bold and bright colours or patterns to choose from (Etsy)

You can choose from two straps, elastic or tie loops, depending on your preference.

How to wash face coverings

To keep your mask as clean as possible, WHO recommends washing it once a day, using soap or detergent, with hot water.

However, most reusable fabric masks in materials like cotton and linen are machine washable, but make sure to check the label.

According to the CDC, you should use “the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely”.

Read our face mask buying guide, where to buy a mask in the UK and for face masks for children

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