More than 60% of the hearing-impaired felt anxiety about their work or school situations partly due to mask wearing, according to a poll conducted by a private-sector organization comprising disabled people and their supporters during the state of emergency to contain the spread of the coronavirus
The poll was conducted via the internet from Jan. 21 to 25 by the Dialogue Japan Society, and 111 hearing-impaired people, mainly in their 20s to 50s, responded.
Among the respondents, 69, or 62%, said they felt inconvenienced or anxious about their work or studies.
Meanwhile, 77 people, or 69%, said the state of emergency declaration caused circumstances to change in their workplaces or schools.
The percentages of those who felt inconvenience or anxiety in preceding polls conducted in May and October last year also hovered around the 60% level.
As the reason for their unease, many respondents cited that it is difficult to catch the words spoken by other people because the latter party's mouth is covered by a mask.
Some of the respondents said they felt increasingly anxious because they do not know who is speaking during online meetings.
"When communicating with the hearing-impaired, we hope people will make adjustments to their habits and proactively use body language or beginning to talk after raising their hands," said an official with the Dialogue Japan Society.
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