Masks make everyday tasks ‘highly stressful’ for people who are deaf, hard of hearing

When Brisbane was placed into lockdown on Monday night and people across the city masked up, teacher Amanda Sterling, who is deaf, braced herself for the communication headaches to come.

For people who are deaf or hard or hearing, face masks can be a literal barrier to communication, concealing the facial expressions and movements that Auslan users and lip-readers rely on.

“Everywhere we go presently is more stressful than normal — normal being difficult anyway —…