ASL Challenges During COVID: How the Pandemic Impacted Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities
The pandemic altered daily life for nearly everyone. However, deaf and hard of hearing individuals that rely on American Sign Language (ASL) faced unique challenges others didn’t typically encounter.
COVID-19 requirements and restrictions made effective communication challenging for the hard of hearing and deaf community. This made daily life harder to manage, as successful communication is crucial for many interactions.
If you’re wondering what deaf and hard of hearing individuals encountered – and still battle with today – here’s a look at ASL challenges during COVID.
ASL Challenges During COVID
In-Person Interpretation and COVID Restrictions
While the severest COVID-19 restrictions aren’t in place in many areas, some organizations still have strict limits regarding who may enter a building. In some cases, that means language services that were previously available weren’t part of the pandemic paradigm.
For instance, in-person interpretation wasn’t always available in many facilities – including healthcare settings – due to health-related concerns. As a result, many hard of hearing and deaf individuals had challenges getting the ASL language support they needed.
While the healthcare example is potentially the most notable, it isn’t the only scenario where a lack of in-person interpretation had an impact. Interpreters weren’t always available in legal settings, including during court trials. In some cases, postponements were the answer, something that isn’t ideal for an incarcerated individual waiting for their trial. Otherwise, if a proceeding moved forward, a person that needed an interpreter could get substandard representation because an interpreter wasn’t physically present.
In many cases, alternatives to an interpreter aren’t nearly as effective. For example, while a deaf or hard of hearing individual could communicate with others in writing, sending notes, questions, or answers back-and-forth this way is time-consuming and cumbersome. Participants can’t engage in a rapid discussion since writing out responses takes far longer than signing.
Video interpretation was also touted as a solution. While it can be reliable if the supporting tech is solid and all parties are familiar with the platforms, that isn’t always the scenario that plays out. Essentially, if audio and video quality wasn’t perfect or anyone struggled with using the technology, all participants may miss critical parts of the discussion.
Ultimately, diminished access to in-person interpreters had a significant impact on the deaf and hard of hearing community. Since COVID restrictions remain in many facilities, this is an issue that is likely to continue.
Face Masks, Facial Expressions, and Lip Reading
Face masks were one of the earlier mandates during the pandemic. While they are crucial for keeping people safe and healthy, they do make communication harder for hard of hearing and deaf individuals.
Many people in the deaf and hard of hearing community rely on facial expressions and lip reading when speaking with others. Masks typically make lip reading impossible and can make interpreting facial expressions far more difficult.
Additionally, for individuals with some hearing, masks muffle the sounds of someone speaking. If the limited hearing was critical for communication previously, the inability to clearly hear another person could make having a discussion incredibly challenging, if not functionally impossible.
While there are masks with transparent windows that can make communication with deaf or hard of hearing individuals easier, they aren’t widely used, especially since they don’t typically meet higher safety standards. For example, N95 masks – which the CDC recommends – aren’t generally available with windows.
Additionally, the windows may actually reduce sound transmission more than other versions. For those with residual hearing, this means trading sound for visual cues.
Masks are likely to remain part of the paradigm for some time, at least in some capacity. As a result, this is an issue that may impact deaf and hard of hearing individuals for quite some time.
Social Distancing
Social distancing – another step required for safety during the pandemic – also impacts the hard of hearing and deaf community. For those with residual hearing, wider spaces between them and a speaker can reduce what they hear, making it harder to communicate. Similarly, subtle differences between signs might be harder to notice, particularly for those with visual challenges.
For deaf-blind people who rely on tactile ASL, social distancing requirements – as well as the need for actual contact with the other person – make communicating even more challenging. In this situation, alternatives like video calls aren’t an option. However, COVID-related restrictions could mean that a family member or friend can’t stand in as an interpreter either.
Social distancing is still being recommended today. As a result, anyone with hearing-related challenges may experience hardships like those above until the pandemic calms significantly.
Do You Need Reliable Interpreters?
If you need a professional interpreter, Acutrans can help. Acutrans provides high-quality interpretation services – on-site, over the phone, and video remote – in a range of categories, including medical, legal, and more.
Additionally, the Acutrans team offers certified document translations within 24 hours. Along with general translation, legal and medical specialty services are available.
If you need an interpreter or translator, the Acutrans team can provide a fast, reliable solution. Contact us for a free quote today.