Reading lips a challenge in a world of masks
There is a scene from a Charlie Brown cartoon where Linus is sitting in a classroom, holding a book.
Sally is in the desk behind him. The teacher is talking.
Wah wa-hah wa-wah wah wah wah wah wa-wah wa-wah wa-wah.
“Psssstttt,’’ Sally whispers to Linus, “so, are you getting any of this?”
I imagine this is what might be waiting for me when I return to teaching in a few weeks. There will be a new addition to my back-to-school wardrobe – a mask. I might need to bring a matching megaphone as an accessory.
There is a measure of concern that I will not be able to understand my students and they will not be able to consistently hear me. OK, maybe it’s not so much a concern as it is an impending challenge. While trying to communicate for seven hours a day, much could be lost in translation.
I have been preparing most of the summer for this, telling my wife I was in “training’’ for fall semester. My family and I have obeyed the mask recommendations. My longest stretch of wearing a mask non-stop has been three hours, so I have got a long way to go and a short time to get there.
Yes, masks can be hot and uncomfortable. There are times when I feel as if I am suffocating. When I exhale, it often makes my glasses fog up.
But it’s a small price to pay to keep myself and others safeguarded from the ravages of COVID-19.
Like just about everything else these days, the mask debate has divided our country. There are those who pledge allegiance to the mask and chide those who don’t cover up. On the other side of the aisle – not to mention the grocery aisle -- is a defiant camp that walks around with exposed nostrils and bare chins, all in the name of “de-maskracy.”\u0009With masks, it is impossible tell a grin from a grimace, a smile from a smirk. It’s a guessing game. Is that child missing a tooth? Is that lady wearing lipstick?
I bet it’s a great time to be a ventriloquist.
It’s a not-so-easy time to be Ernest McDaniel.
Ernest is 61 years old. He retired last year after 33 years with the U.S. Postal Service, working as a window clerk at both the main post office on College Street and at the Rocky Creek branch.
At 6-foot-3, he is, as they say, a long, tall drink of water. He is a devoted family man and a cheerful guy. He goes through life with an upbeat attitude and a smile on his face.
Now that most everyone is wearing masks in public places, the challenge for folks like Ernest is to look around the room and figure out what everyone is saying.
Wah wa-hah wa-wah wah wah wah wah wa-wah wa-wah wa-wah.
Masks have taken away one of the means he has to communicate in this world – the ability to read lips.
Ernest is deaf. He was born with a genetic hearing disorder. He wears digital hearing aids, but sign language and reading lips are among his essential tools.
“When I wear hearing aids and someone speaks to me, I can hear a voice behind the mask, but I can’t make out what they’re saying without the benefit of lip reading,’’ he said. “Masks make it very difficult to communicate with people in general because, without my hearing aids, I never know if someone is talking to me unless they’re looking directly at me.’’
He laughed and said he doesn’t always wear his hearing aids in public because he “enjoys the peace and quiet.’’ But silence also can compound the difficulties of navigating his way in the world.
“Sometimes when I’m checking out the clerk will be ringing up the item while talking to me but not looking at me,’’ he said. “Since they’re wearing a mask, I never know if they’re talking to me until they either look up at me or I realize the mask is moving. Then I’ll just point to my ears and shake my head to indicate that I am deaf. If my wife is with me, she will either answer or let me know they’re talking to me and relay whatever they say.’’
Ernest grew up in Swainsboro, attended Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Spring and went to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. a private college for the deaf. In 1986, he got a job with the postal service in Atlanta and was transferred to Macon.
When I first met Ernest in 2009, I was amazed at his story. He had learned to play the guitar and bass. He was with a group that performed during worship services at his church. He also played in several local bands.
Adjusting and adapting are nothing new for Ernest. The most difficult times for him during the pandemic have been the trials that affect almost everyone.
His family is spread out across the state, making it difficult to get together. The last family gathering was this past Christmas.
The biggest challenge during the pandemic is not being able to be out and about because I am a person who likes to socialize, especially with my deaf friends and old school mates,’’ he said. “Talking with them by videophone is nice but it’s not the same as hugging someone and hanging out with them.’’
Ed Grisamore teaches journalism at Stratford Academy in Macon. His column appears on Sundays in The Telegraph.