COVID-19: OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
Antonia J. Canlas
The desire of a teacher to have an effect on our students is a symbol of engagement in their academic performance. The COVID-19 pandemic is a danger to educational systems. Many governments have mandated that institutions to discontinue face-to-face classes, and the majority of students were taken surprised by the move. Different online courses are available around the world to meet the educational needs.
Getting through life during the COVID-19 pandemic can be especially difficult for those who have hearing loss.
We now know that wearing a mask is critical for preventing the spread of the virus, but masks also make it difficult for the hearing impaired to use visual signals to read lips. Thankfully, there are ways to break down these barriers to contact while still shielding yourself and others from COVID-19. Barriers to Communication
Lip-reading offers crucial signals that assist people with hearing loss in comprehending what is being said. Some letters, such as "b," "p," "m," and "f," are shaped more towards the front of the mouth. Those with hearing impairments benefit from seeing a speaker because it gives them visual input on their interpretation and helps them to form certain signals. When a speaker wears a mask, the voice is changed in terms of clarity and volume, as well as the visual cues are filtered out by the curtain.
When talking with someone who has hearing loss during a normal conversation, the safest distance is around 3 to 5 feet. This makes for natural lip-reading while maintaining sufficient volume. Speech input diminishes and becomes louder as the gap between contact partners grows.
We should be at least 6 feet apart to allow for enough social space. When voices get louder and more difficult to hear, miscommunication has become more common as a result of the extra foot or more of space available. When communication partners are more than 5 feet apart, normal louder speech sounds (such as "s," "sh," and "th") are missed.
Tips for Better Communication
If you're having trouble hearing someone who's wearing a face mask, ask them to repeat their sentences slowly and simply. Make sure you're facing each other and that their voice is directed at you.
If you're struggling to communicate with someone who has hearing difficulty, speak a little louder but do not yell. To regulate the pitch, rhythm, and pace of your speech, consider using motions or pointing. “To bring relevance to people, you have to be able to speak their language effectively” - Sunday Adelaja
--oOo-The author is Teacher III at City of San Fernando West Integrated School