‘Meet in the middle for World Hearing Day,’ says Prestondale resident

WITH the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become mandatory for people across the globe to wear masks in public- a measure that has widened the gap between the hearing and Deaf communities worldwide.

Yet, hearing loss and ear disease have long been a topic addressed by the World Health Organisation which commemorates World Hearing Day annually on 3 March.

The Northglen News visited Prestondale resident and 2011 Miss Deaf SA, Shelley Ferreira to find out more about the challenges she faces and how Covid-19 has exacerbated these struggles.

“I have zero per cent hearing in my left ear and I was born with 30 per cent hearing in my right ear, which is amplified to 100 per cent speech level with my hearing aid, so I can hear what people are saying. Without my hearing aid I hear nothing, so I do rely on it and I rely on lip reading,” said Ferreira.

Also read: Join the Talk Sign campaign in support of the Deaf

Her hearing aid uses smart technology to drown out background noise, Ferreira still battles to hear when she is in a busy supermarket or shop, especially with Covid-19 protocols in place.

“Now with the mask, it’s awful, I have to really lean in and concentrate,” she said.

While technological advances have made life easier for Ferreira, she said Deaf people are struggling to access information online as video content becomes more popular. 

“There is a big gap between the hearing and deaf world. It’s really hard for the deaf community to be included. Now days, communication is spread online and there are lots of videos online with no captions. It’s really hard for Deaf people to access all of that information. There’s a big divide between those two worlds and we need to somehow bridge the gap. Maybe one way to help is to add captions to videos to provide accessibility to those who can’t hear. There are even auto caption functions where you just need to click one button and it makes all the difference. It’s the same with sign language, if people could just learn a few signs ,” she added.

Also read:Covid masks hinder lip-reading, says Durban North teacher

While communication with a mask on is difficult, Ferreira said it helps when people speak clearly.

“A lot of people mumble which makes it harder to hear. I wouldn’t say speaking slower helps, it’s more about speaking clearly,” she said.

uMhlanga based audiologist, Heidi Allan who has been practicing for more than 30 years said World Hearing Day is a special day for her. 

“Creating awareness of the needs of those whose hearing is starting to change.  This is particularly relevant in this time of the Covid-19 crisis where communication has become significantly challenging with the use of masks as part of the fight against the spread of the disease.  We all lip read at least 50 per cent of the time and as our hearing changes so our reliance on lip reading increases,” she said. 

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.

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