For people with hearing impairments, face masks can be a barrier in communication.
After the Centers for Disease Control recommended universal masking, people are looking for ways to adapt to this change in the workplace.
Communicator masks have a window that allows the mouth to show through the mask.
Hospice nurse, Sarah Bloomfield said she has sewed 30 masks in total.
"It's surrounded by two layers of one-hundred percent cotton fabric because that's what the CDC reccomends," Bloomfield said. "The cording that attaches to both sides is cotton and it goes around the back of the neck and ties up top so you can tighten it to fit around the sides of your face."
She works for the Woodland Hospice House in Mount Pleasant.
Bloomfield said nine masks have been given to her coworkers. She said this helps them communicate with their coworker who has a hearing impairment
"Now that universal masking is for everywhere, people who are hard of hearing in any job that are essential workers, the people that they are working with would need to wear them," Bloomfield said. "I think there’s a huge need but not much access to get them."
She said the remaining masks are being donated to deaf and hard of hearing services to be distributed to in western Michigan.
