Face masks and hidden disabilities

[Firef1y72]

So I'm guessing those of us with hidden disabilities such as autism are going to have to wear some sort of huge badge or lanyard now if we want to use public transport.

I've tried using a face covering, I last less than a minute before the sensory overload starts to kick in. I can't wear my glasses that help me see, so wont be able to wear a mask. Cant stand things over my ears.

So I've been trying to get used to wearing a running buff over my mouth/nose. It's not happening, feels like I'm suffocating and no way I'd last the 40 minute bus journey in to town, without going in to sensory overload.

So if (and it's a big if) I am going to be exempt then I'm going to be even more of a social pariah than I am now with my stimming. The world just seems to get more dystopian by the day.

As a shielder, just wanted to clarify @rainkeepsfallingdown, the Government haven't said that shielding is over.

They have said that shielders, should they wish to, can go for a walk.

They still shouldn't go to work, go to shops, travel on public transport etc.

@Sockwomble the op is claiming she might receive abuse for not wearing a badge?

I know what meltdowns are like all too well sadly and yes they're fucking horrible. I live a life of avoiding many things because of them.

But there's a plague on the go and people will be scared if you can't cover up. They'll be even more scared if you have a meltdown in front of them unfortunately.

Getting cross at posters here won't help, and for all the people here who say it shouldn't matter in an ideal world - no of course it shouldn't, but it will.

So, solutions - what about a huge wide-rimmed hat with a plastic covering, taped down at the bottom or with some draping fabric below it or something? This sort of thing? Can you cope with hats at all OP?
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0861W8P24

If you don't like things on your ears, what if you used this and had it under your ears somehow?

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B085759SFH/

I'm really stunned at the number of people on MN who can find any justification for members of the public to verbally attack people if they're not wearing masks. I haven't seen a single reason yet that would cause me to make allowances for anyone who did this.

Until full details are released, we don't actually know if sensory issues will be grounds for exemption. We know breathing difficulties will be. It's appalling that I've seen posts from people with breathing difficulties who are trying to find a way to wear face coverings - not because they want to but because they fear the public. I won't be wearing a mask and I won't be wearing a badge. I'll be carrying proof to show to people who have a right to ask to see it. That doesn't include Mumsnetters.

As for those who are saying if you can't wear a mask then stay away from public transport, shops, etc then fuck you too. Make me.

I have ptsd caused by being raped and half suffocated. I'd give anything to be able to wear a mask, to either not have experienced that trauma in the first place or to have found my way through it. My psychiatrist has said he will write a letter but these threads prove it's not enough. So I avoid public transport, shopping, hospitals but for how long? What if this legislation isn't rolled back. That's my ultimate fear. A timeline I could cope with but no date makes me question my future.

Dinosauratemydaffodils

FWIW if I saw anyone being confronted/bullied for not wearing a mask, I’d try to step in to try to diffuse the situation.

Dinosaur, I'm sorry this is causing you fear. Is there any kind of covering at all that you could manage instead of a mask? A really light scarf that's easy to breathe through? Perhaps something like www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088LTR7BD/

It's not possible to treat everyone the same all of the time, as not all adjustments are reasonable.

Rights are not equal though.

Upthread someone said NHS staff’s “rights” not be exposed to non-mask wearers was equal to cancer patients’ “rights” to be allowed to attend medical treatment.

I disagree.

NHS staff have chosen to do a dangerous job. No one chooses to have a serious illness.

Denying someone essential medical treatment can be a death sentence. A healthy non-vulnerable person is realistically not that much at risk from briefly being around a non-mask wearer (who is probably not even infected). And people are forgetting that you can still easily catch it from a mask-wearer!

To go back to your example of a dog. The onus should be on you to not sit next to the dog. Why is it the responsibility of people with breathing problems to not leave the house on the off-chance they might encounter and infect a medically vulnerable person? Why is it not the responsibility of medically vulnerable people to simply move seats? It’s far easier for someone who’s frightened to just move seats, than to expect the millions of people with asthma or ASD to not go to work or medical appointments.

@ChocolatelyAsFuck

It's not possible to treat everyone the same all of the time, as not all adjustments are reasonable.

Rights are not equal though.

Upthread someone said NHS staff’s “rights” not be exposed to non-mask wearers was equal to cancer patients’ “rights” to be allowed to attend medical treatment.

I disagree.

NHS staff have chosen to do a dangerous job. No one chooses to have a serious illness.

Denying someone essential medical treatment can be a death sentence. A healthy non-vulnerable person is realistically not that much at risk from briefly being around a non-mask wearer (who is probably not even infected). And people are forgetting that you can still easily catch it from a mask-wearer!

To go back to your example of a dog. The onus should be on you to not sit next to the dog. Why is it the responsibility of people with breathing problems to not leave the house on the off-chance they might encounter and infect a medically vulnerable person? Why is it not the responsibility of medically vulnerable people to simply move seats? It’s far easier for someone who’s frightened to just move seats, than to expect the millions of people with asthma or ASD to not go to work or medical appointments.

Thank God there's still some sanity about.

Because a bus driver doesn't get to choose to move or step off the bus.

@Oxyiz

Because a bus driver doesn't get to choose to move or step off the bus.

Protective screens have been fitted to the cabs. Where that hasn't happened, it's the bus companies putting drivers at risk, not the public.

Is there any kind of covering at all that you could manage instead of a mask

I've tried a few things and so far wound up with a large scratch on my face from dragging one off (ds thinks I look like a pirate), heightened symptoms and sleeplessness nights. One thing which is tolerable for bit is a lacy shawl bought to cover my hair (worn to a wedding in a very Catholic country) but it's lacy, very light and breathable so not convinced it provides any protection at all. It looks pretty though.

I have the dual issue of struggling with anything touching my nose/mouth and not being able to cope with the feeling of my breath hitting something and bouncing back.

I'm not sure there can be any blanket rule because hidden disabilities vary so much, my dd is autistic and was wearing a facemask weeks ago because it helped her anxiety against catching it.

Protective screens have been fitted to the cabs. Where that hasn't happened, it's the bus companies putting drivers at risk, not the public

THIS!!

I advise anyone advocating wearing a muzzle to do their own independent research instead of following the herd. Between 2004 and 2016 at least a dozen research or review articles have been published on the inadequacies of face masks. All agree that the poor facial fit and limited filtration characteristics of face masks make them unable to prevent the wearer inhaling airborne particles. In their well-referenced 2011 article on respiratory protection for healthcare workers, Drs. Harriman and Brosseau conclude that, “facemasks will not protect against the inhalation of aerosols.”

Following their 2015 literature review, Dr. Zhou and colleagues stated, “There is a lack of substantiated evidence to support claims that facemasks protect either patient or surgeon from infectious contamination.” 25 In the same year Dr. R. MacIntyre noted that randomized controlled trials of facemasks failed to prove their efficacy. 5 In August 2016 responding to a question on the protection from facemasks the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety replied:

The filter material of surgical masks does not retain or filter out submicron particles; Surgical masks are not designed to eliminate air leakage around the edges; Surgical masks do not protect the wearer from inhaling small particles that can remain airborne for long periods of time.

Source: Why Face Masks Don’t Work: A Revealing Review
by John Hardie, BDS, MSc, PhD, FRCDC
<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200509053953/www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/face-masks-dont-work-revealing-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20200509053953/www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/face-masks-dont-work-revealing-review/

Walked past a barbers in town yesterday and no masks or visors being worn.

No one seemed bothered. Just checked local fb groups and no one has said a word.
They had plenty to say when some people wernt wearing masks on buses even when it was pointed out that some will be exempt due to medical conditions. Nope Not good enough apparently.

But this barbers. Radio silence.

Amazing how a blind eye is turned when it involves something they want..............like a haircut.