Branching out

If you thought not being able to see your loved ones’ smile while they’re wearing a mask is bad, think again.

For deaf people and others who rely heavily on reading lips, non-transparent masks are the bane of their existence. Practically everyone wears one of those nowadays, with social distancing and masking-up being the new normal. Not only do the deaf have trouble interacting with friends, peers, and coworkers, but now, they have another obstacle to overcome in school. Equalizing education for people who rely solely on visual learning has already been a tough struggle before the pandemic, and now, the task has become even harder with the need to balance safety and education.

For teachers who don’t wear transparent masks, their ability to communicate effectively with students to engage them in the subject matter will already be greatly diminished. Students who rely completely on reading lips and those who may have special visual learning needs will not be able to understand a word that the teacher is saying, let alone being able to do anything that we students are accustomed to: from speaking to friends in the hallways to getting involved in after-school clubs and activities. This challenge of school reopening doesn’t just impact the generations of students who have become accustomed to their school environment, but it also affects those who are heading into new schools. On top of having to acclimate themselves to new academic expectations and harder work, they have to deal with meeting new people and exploring a different routine. One can only imagine the critical need for communication and guidance, which is severely hindered by non-transparent masks.

At that point, it’s a BIG IF on the topic of schools actually reopening. Students are currently kept in the dark about the status of educational planning around the fall of 2020, and much of the international guidelines around school re-openings defers the decision to the local administration. The point is this: if we want to make school re-openings as smooth as possible (or even be allowed to reconvene with our friends at school again), transparent masks are essential in our back-to-school toolkit.

When we first started this initiative, my partner Sokkunthea Chhim and I desperately sought ways to answer needs amidst this crisis that has affected our family, friends, the community, and the nation. Needless to say, I was also deeply affected by the strict stay-at-home order I’ve been under for months now because of my family’s vulnerability to the virus, as I’m sure many readers share my sentiments. We immediately reached out to organizations about our idea, prioritizing the needs of the deaf and disadvantaged. When these organizations heard about the transparent masks that we offered, they showed much support with great enthusiasm toward our goal. This urged us to procure materials and hasten our production to meet their aggregate demands of 800+ as soon as possible.

We are currently focusing on building up our online platform and focusing on the production of our masks to meet the needs of our fellow citizens. Soon, we’ll be reaching out even more to schools all around Boston to get them into this initiative.

Please consider supporting us by donating to help us minimize our costs and keep this initiative running. After all, we are students with no real source of funding…

Stay tuned for more updates to come!

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