A Negotiated Solution

I have a hearing loss and struggle to communicate using surgical masks.  Nobody seems to find it easy, but for me it’s basically impossible. If I am listening to a person with a quiet voice,  I tell them I’ll make a deal with them: I’ll stand 6 ft. away with my mask on if they will take theirs off to talk to me.  I explain my ears aren’t the best and I can’t hear well.  Much of the time people oblige.

Today I had an eye appointment, and the doctor had two masks on - an N95 mask with a cloth mask over that.  While some people are willing to remove their mask to talk to me as long as I wear one and keep the 6 ft distance, this doctor was not going to remove his masks to talk to me.  So I got my phone out and used my transcription app.  I thought it might not work well, because automatic captions sometimes don't work well in the very same situations I have difficulty understanding.  However, it turned out to be a surprisingly good solution!