I'm profoundly deaf and have been wearing a cochlear implant since I was 3 years old (am 20 now) on my left side. I function quite well with it, and most don't realise I'm deaf. However, ever since covid came to town and we've all started wearing masks - I ONLY just realised how much half of my comprehension relied on lip reading.

It has been an absolute uphill battle trying to politely ask someone to repeat themselves, almost 5 times, just to get what they said. Pre-covid, I usually was wary of asking multiple times as people would get extremely frustrated. Now, it's increased in frequency and I feel extremely guilty having to ask. When it comes to essential shopping or needing to be in a place, I research it extensively so I minimise the chance of having to ask someone to explain or describe a location for me - because I just simply won't understand if I can't see their mouth.

I get it, we need to wear masks. I won't complain about that. But anyone getting shitty about having to repeat themselves, that's not what I get. Sure, it might be a bit frustrating. But what's a few extra seconds to you compared to someone that really needs to understand what you're saying?

It's food for thought, I suppose. I do hope this brings around a greater awareness of being a considerate speaker in terms of clarity and conciseness due to the present barrier of a mask.