As a disabled medical student who is not part of the Deaf/HoH community, I have been dismayed at the difficulty of obtaining an approved, clear face mask for when I return to clinic.

Thank you to @kevinmd for letting me share my thoughts.

Thread https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/why-we-need-clear-face-masks.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

As a future #DocsWithDisabilities, I'm always striving for accessibility. It pains me to think of my patient in a few weeks who will have difficulty understanding me because they can't see my lips.

At the same time, however, with COVID-19 disproportionately affecting disabled and BIPOC individuals, universal masking is of utmost importance.

I wrote this article on Tuesday morning, after a scintillating conversation with @soupvector (below) and reading doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2020.1705 by @deafmd1 to call my hearing colleagues and mentors to action. It's on all of us to strive for accessibility. https://twitter.com/_HarryPaul_/status/1287904660896940032?s=20

In the piece, I encourage all of #MedTwitter and #MedStudentTwitter to ask their institutions, their companies, their local politicians where the clear masks are. Where to find them. Who is making them. How we can make more, that are better, that are safer.

I've put the other op-ed I tweeted about last week on hold for a while, so this is my first popular press piece. It's been an amazing summer of writing and I wish I could be so proud of it.

But I can't really celebrate, knowing my name is out there with the uncapitalized "deaf"

The @NYTimes style guide and @APStylebook do not capitalize Deaf, despite conclusive and extensive evidence by @NAD1880 that referring to the community with a proper noun when referring to a group that shares a language, a culture, and a shared experience

https://www.nad.org/resources/american-sign-language/community-and-culture-frequently-asked-questions/

I reached out to @kevinmd and was very happy that he changed the one instance where it is followed by the word community.

But I am still disappointed in @nytimes and @APStylebook that their guidelines show once again, no recognition of the experiences of disabled individuals.

So to recap:

I'm not a member of the Deaf community, but I do want to be accessible to them.
Ask your institutions for clear face masks.
Follow Deaf leaders like @deafmd1 @NickSReed @coreyaxelrod
Don't let institutions like @nytimes and @APStylebook continue to harm

I'd also like to thank

- the crew @sarawallam and @katie_ventre for encouraging and helping me to find my voice
- @Okanlami for endless support and advice on all things
- @soupvector for being, at once, a great advocate to the Deaf community and for protecting public health...

And most of all, @kevinmd.

In 2020, I've had a lot to think about and share. I've gotten many pieces rejected. For anyone in medicine, I really encourage you to submit. He's a fantastic supporter of medical student voices and wonderful to work with.

AND OF COURSE I FORGET THE OG’s. THE ONES WHO STARTED IT ALL.

@BurgartBioethix @gabmayer you’re the best mentors any med student could ask for.

I love the conversation that this piece has generated. A couple of follow-ups.

I am not talking about the many homemade or "public use" masks, although those should be MUCH more common than they are now. (everyone: buy them.)

I'm talking about our patients not understanding us

We shouldn't have to choose between covid safety and accessibility. The @the_clearmask is an incredible product but it is back-ordered, expensive, single-use, and most importantly:

I don't know of any hospital system that has placed a large order.