A PROFOUNDLY deaf man has spoken out on the difficulties he has faced during the coronavirus lockdown.

William Stavert said the lockdown requirement of mask wearing is impacting on the mental health of deaf people, who are left unable to lip-read while out and about.

Mr Stavert has a hearing dog, Archie, who is trained to listen for specific signs such as warnings and alarms, as well as the telephone or the doorbell.

He said: “Deaf people have greatly difficulty communicating with shop assistants when they wear masks and there are serious communication barriers. It affects my mental health, wellbeing and anxiety.”

On one occasion, Mr Stavert said he was told his dog Archie was not allowed in with him.

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Because Mr Stavert, 61, could not hear or lip read the shop assistant, this affected his mental health, causing him severe anxiety as shop staff often do not realise assistance dogs are allowed in shops.

Mr Stavert, who has lived in Malvern all his life, added he has lost confidence in going out because of the difficulties he and many other deaf people have faced.

He added: “This is not first time it has happened, it has happened to me several times and I went home feeling post stress trauma and lost my confidence.”

Earlier this year the government announced it had bought 250,000 clear face masks so deaf people could lip-read.

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These were to be used by NHS and social care workers, and the move was welcomed by Roger Wicks, director of policy and campaigns for Action on Hearing Loss.

He said: “We welcome the procurement of clear face masks, which has the potential to improve the accessibility of health and social care services for those who rely on seeing facial expressions and lipreading to communicate, including people who are deaf or have hearing loss.

“We hope that different services across the NHS and social care are able to access clear masks and effectively match them to patient need.

“It will also be important that these masks are complemented by effective communication tips and deaf awareness among staff to ensure that people with hearing loss get the support they need.”

Are you deaf or hard of hearing? What have your experiences been during lockdown?

Have you found you have lost confidence? Get in touch.