Josie Gibson’s Pride After Brother Opens Up On Being Deaf During Pandemic
By Cara Dudgeon
3 years ago
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id="RTK_ZIkz"]
'Masks are impacting our life because we can’t communicate with other people. I have to take down my mask and remind people that I am deaf and that I need to lip read.
'Sometimes they refuse to take their mask down and that’s frustrating for us, and we just have to get on with it but we shouldn’t have to.
'It’s hard to go out and do things, for example I have to wear a mask to drop my girls off to school and it feels lonely not to be able to have a chat with other mums because we all have to wear masks.
'Going to the shop I don’t understand staff because they are wearing masks and I can’t tell if they are talking to me.
'We rely on signing and lip reading, and so it’s difficult for us, we are fed up having to explain ourselves why we aren’t wearing masks and having to explain that we are deaf, and having to explain we are lip reading…'.
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id="RTK_qw1q"]
'I’m so proud of my brother and his wife for that because they were so nervous doing that…
'And I really do think the deaf community have been quite forgotten about during this pandemic, and they’ve just given them a voice so I could not be prouder'.
'Some have refused to lower their masks and this is why people need to recognise the sunflower lanyards…
'I can understand people seeing others that haven’t got a mask on and thinking, "you’re putting my health at risk" but if they just recognised this sunflower as somebody with a hidden disability they might leave them alone'.
[dx_custom_adunit mobile_id="RTK_qQCt"]