Fears 50 deaf Dundee students negatively affected by face mask extension
A national charity for youngsters with hearing impairment says many are struggling to understand their teachers
Last updated 25th Nov 2020
It's claimed around 50 deaf students in Dundee are being negatively affected by the extension of face coverings in the classroom.
The Scottish Government guidance has been extended to all pupils in most high schools in the city.
The National Deaf Children's Society says this means many youngsters are struggling to their understand their teachers.
Skye Cassidy's a second year pupil with impaired hearing at St John's High.
"When I'm writing down what I think they're teachers saying, it comes to an exam and they ask me where I got the answer from," she said.
"I'm thinking, that's what I was taught but it's not the right answer."
Around half of Skye's teachers wear a face covering with a clear panel, and she reckons that makes a big difference in her ability to understand them.
"With the teachers having a clear one, it's easier for me to be able to lip read when they're going over answers," she added.
"But when they have the full face covering on it's harder for me to pick up."
The National Deaf Children's Society is concerned the extension of coverings in some schools will increase the gap between deaf and hearing pupils’ results.
Head of Policy for Scotland, Alasdair O’Hara, said: Nothing is more important than the safety of pupils and staff, but Government advice clearly says face masks are not needed in every classroom.
Despite this, schools are pressing ahead with knee-jerk, blanket policy decisions that don’t consider deaf children’s needs.
“Deaf pupils already achieve less than hearing children and if schools are making huge decisions unilaterally, they must discuss them with specialist staff, parents and deaf pupils every step of the way.
“Schools also need to make every reasonable adjustment a deaf pupil needs to access their education, such as funding extra communication support, providing transformational technology like radio aids or increasing deaf awareness.
“These are challenging times, but every child has the right to an education. Deaf children are no exception.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: "We're trialling face coverings with clear panels for deaf pupils as well as those who have other communication needs.
"We're testing out ones which pupils respond to best and which staff can wear comfortably."
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