Log In
Log In
View Courses

Mask Barriers

Share This Post

Another pandemic barrier for the deaf communities and some people in general… wearing masks which is a must to protect ourselves and others. Wearing masks are creating barriers in communicating with people. Visual expression is covered and for some, cannot lipread and it causes great anxiety.

In sign language, our face tells a story, it’s 70% of our language while 30% uses our hands. We have what you call mouth morpheme, conveys an adjective, adverb or other descriptive meaning in association with ASL word. Curious how, learn ASL ;0)

Prior masks, to lipread is mostly guesswork, about 30% and with the masks, none. Not everyone can lipread, please do not assume or ask someone if they can. And we will not ask you to remove your mask to communicate!

I decided to create an info-graphic to educate the public of other means of communication tools. In meantime, don’t assume that we are ignoring you. Be kind and patience. To get our attention, gently tap on our shoulders until we are face to face, then gesture. If we don’t understand your message, use one of these tools below.

  • \"\"
  • \"\"
  • \"\"
  • \"\"
  • \"\"
  • \"\"
  • \"\"
  • \"\"
  • \"\"
  • \"\"

More To Explore

A promotional graphic with a soft mauve overlay features the back of a graduate wearing a black graduation gown and mortarboard with a red tassel. The graduate's right hand is gently touching the top of the cap. Large white text across the centre reads: "Graduation Should Include Everyone" A hand-painted yellow brushstroke underlines the word "Everyone," drawing attention to the message. At the top of the image, the branding reads "Signable Vi5ion Inc." on the left and "@signablevi5ion" on the right. At the bottom left is the name Leah Riddell, and the SignAble Vi5ion logo appears in the bottom right corner.

Graduation Should Include Everyone

Soon, I’ll be sitting in the audience watching my daughter graduate. It should be one of the proudest moments of my life. But I won’t know when her name is called. I won’t hear the announcement. I won’t know when she’s about to walk across the stage unless someone tells me. Not because I’m not paying attention. Because there will be no interpreter. This isn’t about me asking

Read More »
June 18, 2026
A workplace conversation between two people, with one appearing to explain while the other listens attentively. The text overlay reads: “The Cost of Being the Teacher.” SignAble Vi5ion branding and Leah Riddell’s name appear on the image.

The Cost of Being the Teacher

Every Deaf person knows the feeling. You walk into a new workplace, a new meeting, a new service, or a new organization and immediately find yourself doing something that wasn’t part of the plan. Teaching. Teaching people how to communicate with you. Teaching people what an interpreter does. Teaching people not to look at the interpreter. Teaching people that captions matter. Teaching people that writing everything on a

Read More »
June 16, 2026