In News

The Deaf Academy, a school based in Exmouth, Devon, has been gifted transparent face masks thanks to funding from the charitable arm of the Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club.

The Exeter Chiefs Foundation was contacted by a parent who realised that their son and other students at the Deaf Academy would struggle to communicate while wearing standard face coverings. The Academy, which opened their state of the art facilities at the former Rolle College site in Exmouth in September of this year, have been advocating for clear face coverings since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to local press, Mark Stocks, the Deaf Academy’s Assistant Principal, said: “The mandatory wearing of face coverings in many public places makes communication especially difficult for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

“We would encourage people to use clear panel masks or face coverings as much as possible and also be aware of the difficulties deaf people may face when communicating with people who are wearing a standard mask.

“I recently flew to Scotland from Bristol and despite having a cochlear implant, I struggled to communicate with anyone. No one in the airport had clear face masks or visors and would not lower them to help with lip reading.

“… We are extremely grateful to the Exeter Chiefs Foundation for supplying us these branded face coverings, they are already very popular with our students and staff.”

Tony Rowe OBE, Exeter Chiefs Foundation Chairman, said: “My fellow trustees and I were delighted to be able to help. Although in the scheme of things, it was a small contribution for our charity to make, it is one that will make a huge difference to a lot of people.

“The difficulties deaf people are experiencing with traditional face coverings during the current restrictions wasn’t immediately obvious until Tim and Oliver contacted us. The Exeter Chiefs Foundation exists to assist and enhance the lives of the local community and this request fitted our criteria perfectly.”

The Academy offers young people with a range of abilities and challenges, all of whom are deaf or have hearing loss, a place to learn and grow. Students are encouraged to explore their passions while excelling with their education. They are the first UK Deaf School to offer supported internships to their students. Find out more about them here https://thedeafacademy.ac.uk/

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