TRANSPARENT MASK FOR THE DISABLED

[Anchor Lead]

With protective face masks being a daily necessity these days, people with impaired hearing, who understand what others say by looking at the shape of their mouth, are having a hard time communicating. One rehabilitation center for people with hearing disabilities has acquired a technique for producing transparent masks to help those who cannot hear communicate more easily.

[Pkg]

​A rehab center in Jung-gu District, Busan... Its staff is busy cutting a transparent fabric with extra care and sewing it onto face masks. They are making KF94 masks with a transparent part covering the mouth. These masks are designed to improve communication for the hearing impaired, as they need to see the shape of the mouth in order to communicate.

[Soundbite] "We sew them meticulously to make sure the filter retains its protective properties."

The results of a recent test showed they can understand nearly 30 percent more words when people they speak to wear transparent face masks.

[Soundbite] "I can communicate much better this way, as I can see the shape of the mouth. (Is this much better?) Yes."

The center's director, Dr. Park Sung-il, acquired the technique for producing transparent masks from an American college student who invented them. They keep medical workers safe while making it easier for people with hearing impairment to communicate. Those who bring masks to the center can have them remade into transparent ones free of charge.

[Soundbite] PARK SUNG-IL(DIRECTOR OF REHABILITATION CENTER FOR PEOPLE WITH IMPAIRED HEARING) : "Transparent masks can help not only those with hearing disabilities but also the elderly, their guardians and those who wear hearing aids."

The center plans to share its expertise on making transparent face masks on social media so that the products can be supplied to more social workers and audiologists.