Pandemic Impacts on Communication and Social Well-Being - Considerations for Individuals Who Are D/HH

Oct 15, 2026

The study examines how COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, including face mask wearing and social distancing, affected people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HH). Using a survey of 108 participants who were D/HH and/or parents or service providers of D/HH children, the research captures perceived challenges, valued resources, and available supports. Findings show substantial communication impacts related to mask use and negative consequences of social distancing on social connection. Results highlight the need for greater awareness and additional supports to protect communication and social well-being.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Communication Impacts

Face mask wearing and communication

Effects on sign language and nonmanual signals

Access to information in health care contexts

Pandemic Impacts on Communication and Social Well-Being: Considerations for Individuals Who Are D/HH Carla Wood, PhD 1, Kristen Guynes, PhD 1, Victor Lugo, MS 1, Lindsey Baker, BA 1, and Selena Snowden, AuD 1 Communication Disorders Quarterly 2024, Vol. 45(4) 211–220 © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2023 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/15257401231181506](DOI: 10.1177/15257401231181506)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/15257401231181506)[cdq.sagepub.com](cdq.sagepub.com) Abstract The purpose of the current study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions (e.g., face mask wearing and social distancing) on individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HH). The study aimed to describe perceptions of challenges and valued resources to inform efforts to mitigate negative consequences of the pandemic. A survey was used to solicit information about the pandemic-related experiences of 108 individuals who are D/HH and/or parents or service providers of children who are D/HH. Questions elicited perceptions of pandemic related challenges, resources, and supports. Results demonstrated high percentages of respondents reported experiencing substantial impacts of face mask wearing on communication. Additionally, respondents reported negative consequences of social distancing on the way they connected with others. Findings point to the need for increased awareness of risks for impacts on communication and social well-being and consideration of additional supports. Keywords communication disorders, Deaf/hard of hearing, family/parent issues, research survey, sign language, cochlear implants/ hearing aids, social communication According to the World Health Organization, more than 5% of the global population is deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) and 26.8% of persons above 65 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2021). Given the high incidence of the population with hearing loss, a high proportion of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have at least one client on their caseloads with hearing loss. Furthermore, SLPs and audiologists are tasked with providing counsel to other professionals on interdisciplinary teams serving individuals who are D/HH. As such, additional examination of the unique impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is needed to inform the design and use of appropriate resources to mitigate negative impactsand support recovery efforts. There has been growing recognition that the effects of COVID-19 restrictions may be exponentially greater for individuals who are D/HH, in part due to additional challenges to communication created by mask wearing and social distancing (Homans & Vroegop, 2021) . Despite the use of varied communication modalities and languages, burgeoning reports suggest individuals who are D/HH were at risk of experiencing disproportionately large, negative impacts ofthe pandemic on communication (e.g., Homans & Vroegop, 2021), social-emotional wellness (e.g., Kaya et al., 2021), education, service delivery, health information access (e.g., Panko et al., 2021), and overall well-being (e.g., Shakespeare et al., 2022) . Communication Impacts Among the domains at risk of being impacted by pandemic restrictions, communication is widely recognized as an area of concern (Chodosh et al., 2020; Homans & Vroegop, 2021; Naylor et al., 2020; West et al., 2020) . Specifically, face mask wearing has been studied in relation to pandemic impacts on individuals who are D/HH. In one study of 129 adults with hearing loss in Scotland, 93% of participants indicated speech was muffled by masks and 81% indicated that face masks negatively impacted communication due to the inability to see mouth movements (Naylor et al., 2020) . Similar findings were reported in another study of 221 adult cochlear implant (CI) users and found that most respondents (80%) reported face masks to be the cause of 1 Florida S

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study on COVID-19 restrictions and D/HH individuals?

To investigate how COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, such as face masks and social distancing, affected individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and to identify perceived challenges and valued resources to mitigate negative consequences.

How was data collected for the study?

Through a survey that gathered information from 108 individuals who are D/HH and/or parents or service providers of D/HH children, focusing on pandemic-related challenges, resources, and supports.

What communication problems did respondents report related to face mask wearing?

Respondents reported substantial impacts of face mask wearing on communication, including difficulties related to understanding speech cues and communication during daily activities.

Oct 15, 2026

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