Chipping Norton girl sends letter to Prime Minister with appeal to introduce clear face masks across country

The vast majority of face masks currently make lip-reading and the understanding of facial expressions much more difficult, leaving deaf people struggling to understand what is being said to them.

Emma uses hearing aids but she also relies on lip-reading to understand what people are saying.

This is why Emma sent Mr Johnson a homemade face mask with a transparent panel along with her letter, in the hope that he will wear it and send a clear message to the public about how important good communication is for deaf people during this pandemic.

In her letter to the PM, which was delivered to 10 Downing Street on Tuesday August 4, Emma said: “The reason I’m writing to you is because of face masks. I was hoping to make you see what life is like for deaf people. There are other deaf people worse off than me. Being deaf is no joke, especially when we cannot communicate.

“You know what would be really cool Mr Johnson, if you wore a clear face-mask in public, that way 12 million people would know that you care and understand what our life is like.”

Emma’s mum Liz Church backed her call, and said: “I’m so proud of Emma for using her initiative and taking her concerns right to the top. Deaf people like Emma rely on lip-reading and facial expressions to understand what people are saying.

"It can be tough enough under normal circumstances but face coverings that aren’t transparent make understanding even more difficult for deaf people. That’s why Emma is asking Boris Johnson to take action and make clear face masks much more widely available.”

The National Deaf Children’s Society has called on the government, Public Health England and NHS England to look into making transparent face masks more widely available.

As the use of face coverings has become compulsory in many public venues, the charity’s call for the widespread availability of transparent face masks has become all the more urgent.

Beccy Forrow, a campaigner at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “This is a hugely important issue for deaf people across the country and it’s great to see young people like Emma picking up the fight.

“As face masks and coverings become widespread, deaf people will face months of misery as they struggle to understand what’s being said to them, putting them at an even higher risk of isolation and loneliness at a critical time.

“This issue needs to be addressed urgently and we hope Boris Johnson and his Government act swiftly.

“In the meantime, people can help by demonstrating good deaf awareness and using gestures, writing things down and wearing a clear face mask.”