This was written by EiTR’s Dan.
I have a big fear…
What if the face mask became the…
Norm in society?
How could I,
Or my peers,
Who rely on,
Facial communication,
Function socially?
The clear/windowed face masks,
Will be quite expensive,
A niche.
I work as a barman,
I rely heavily on lipreading,
Facial expressions,
And
Gestures,
How can I serve you,
The drink you want?
I work as a workshop provider,
I teach communication skills,
How on earth am I supposed to,
Deliver this,
If communication is hindered.
I read many horror stories,
Of people in hospitals,
Who are struggling to communicate,
Because they can’t understand the,
Doctors.
Lip-reading is not just reading the lips,
It is reading the eyes,
The facial expressions,
The body posture,
And the hands.
It is a type of…
Communication jigsaw,
Take one piece away….
And the jigsaw falls apart,
Like a Jenga tower.
I am currently finding myself,
Socially and professionally isolated.
The video conferencing/chat apps,
Generally do not meet my needs,
It is extremely difficult to lipread,
A video call especially when,
There is buffering.
I worry that if my wife and kids,
Fall ill,
I couldn’t easily reach out for help.
Many of the services out there are,
Done via the telephone,
I and many people who are,
Not able to converse by phone,
Are effectively isolated.
This essentially fuels the fear of,
Social Engineering.
I’m not writing this as a woe’s me,
I worry for the future,
If the current trends continue.
Something needs to change.
This was written based on my experiences and accounts by others on Social Media. The idea is to raise awareness, these changes are having profound effects on people and are causing Social Isolation Anxiety within many communities.
Numbers to consider:
- 1 in 6 in the UK has some form of Deafness – approx 11 million people.
- 1 in 4 in the UK has some form of mental health issue – approx 17 million people.
- 1 in 5 in the UK has a Disability – approx 13.9 mill people.
- 1 in 7 in the UK are Neurodivergent – approx 9.7 mill people.
What can we do to address this so that people are not being left behind?