Justine Bate created face masks with plastic to help herself and her 10-year-old daughter, Teona, to communicate because they are both deaf.
The 42-year-old mom was worried that her daughter would have a hard time socializing with her friends after returning to school if she could not lip-read their mouths.
Face mask orders pouring
Carl Bate, Justine's husband, and carer, also wears one, and he helped his wife debut the unique masks on social media. Since then, care homes have inundated Mrs. Bate with orders.
Other deaf people in their community have also ordered face masks from the graphic designer. She makes them on her sewing machine at home. On the morning of May 27, they have already sold 42 pieces of it priced at £5.99 each including postage and packaging.
Mr. Bate said that they could not produce quickly enough for what the people need. He also said that they are getting lots of messages for care homes for people with dementia and children with autism who are scared of people with a full face mask.
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He also said that it is easier because the patients do not get scared because they could see their lips. Although the masks may look a bit different, the patients' interests are more important. He also said that "looking stupid" does not matter as long as the patient is feeling calm, and the idea benefits the people.
He also said that they are not doing it for money but to make their daughter's life easy. Mrs. Bate was deaf since birth, and her parents are also deaf. She has learned sign language since she was 16.
Netizen's reactions are overwhelming
According to the couple, even though the netizen's reactions to the face masks were overwhelming, it has helped bring the deaf community together. Mr. Bate said that Mrs. Bate was a bit apprehensive about being honest that the masks she is making are not PPE quality because it has no filter.
He also said that people from care homes are not bothered because it makes communicating with disabled people more accessible. He shared that Mrs. Bate loves that she can help others have a quality life in this situation.
The couple tried different ways of making masks to make them effective but not too thick, and now they did it. Mrs. Bate needed something to stitch the plastic into the fabric. She also wanted that the plastics do not blur the lips with condensation.
Some netizen suggested to rub household soap into it and then wipe with a dry cloth. Others asked to put filter with the clear plastic, but it defeats the purpose of the plastic.
Mr. Bate admitted that they had few arguments when they first started, but in the end, Mrs. Bate's way is the best. The couple took around four days of trial and error before they were able to perfect the mask.
They have only produced adult masks that are adjustable with size using an elasticated band. After sharing on Facebook, Mr. Bate got more than 12,000 shares.
