Deaf Mom Makes Face Masks With Clear Plastic Window for Lip Reading, Flooded With Orders

Illustration - VOJTa Herout/Shutterstock

A deaf mother designed a face mask for herself and her deaf daughter to facilitate lip reading: a mask that features a clear plastic window that covers the mouth. And ever since the word of her specialized PPE got out, she’s been inundated with orders from would-be-customers.

According to Metro, Justine Bate, 42, was concerned that her 10-year-old daughter, Teona, would be unable to understand her friends and teachers when she returned to school after the lockdown. The graphic designer, from Manchester in England, set out to find a way to keep Teona’s social circle safe without inhibiting their interactions.

Her ingenious solution soon spread like wildfire on social media.

On May 22, 2020, Justine posted her bespoke design on her Facebook page. “Been up since 6am making this masks,” she wrote.

“[M]yself and my daughter are deaf,” Justine continued, “we rely heavily on lip reading, this Visible Mask is perfect for the deaf, lip-readers, and or those whose work for / with the deaf or those [who] love to smile!”

Justine explained that her masks, crafted in a variety of fabrics and patterns, were available to order at 5.99 pounds (US$7.42) each, including postage and packing fees.

Numerous netizens commented on Justine’s post, congratulating her for the “amazing” and “useful” invention.

In the comments section, Justine further explained that the masks are machine washable at a low temperature. “[I]t does fog up a bit when you breathe out and goes away quickly,” she admitted, adding that treating the transparent plastic panel with household soap and wiping it off with a dry cloth reduces condensation.

Justine’s husband, Carl Bate, 50, added his own testimony. “They do fog up a little while you talk,” he wrote, “but it’s not enough to not see your lips. But also they go back to normal within seconds.”

“It would be virtually impossible to stop a fog and at the same time stop protection,” Carl reflected.

Illustration - Thais Ceneviva/Shutterstock

Justine has also been careful to make it clear to her customers that her masks do not meet personal protective equipment (PPE) standard as they do not contain a filter.

Justine, who makes her Visible Masks using a sewing machine in her loft, was soon inundated with orders. Just days after her Facebook post went viral, the graphic designer sold 42 masks in a single morning, reports the Daily Mail.

Carl admitted that setting up a production line for mounting orders “wasn’t easy.” “I had my ways of doing it and she’s got her way,” he explained, “but her way was the best way.” Both Justine and Carl described the public’s response to the Visible Mask as “overwhelming.”

“We can’t make them quickly enough for what people need,” Carl added. Most enquiries came from people living and working in care homes and people enquiring on behalf of elderly dementia patients or children with autism.

“[T]hey are actually scared of people with this full face mask on,” said Carl. “[They] want these masks where they can actually see the lips, so it is not scary.”

Carolyn Stern, assistant director of outreach for the Center for Hearing and Communication, told the New York Post that the need for specialized masks among vulnerable persons is great. “It is triggering stress, anxiety, aggravation, frustration, and fear,” she explained, “because now they’re entering situations they used to manage well, and now their communication strategies are not working.”

“They’re no longer in control and are cut off,” Stern added.

Justine, who has been deaf since birth, continues to work hard to meet demand for her inclusive functional masks. “The amount of people who have come up to her and asked for these masks is quite overwhelming,” Carl remarked. “She’s loving the fact that she’s helping others make a better quality of life in this situation.”