The Commission's executive director, Dr. Darlene Zangara, was interviewed for this news story, "Ford Motor Co. develops clear mask to help deaf, hard of hearing during pandemic." 

"Many times the cloth masks muffle the speech and the sounds," adds Darlene Zangara, executive director of the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH). "It’s harder to catch what people are saying."

Amid the hubbub of daily life, there are special challenges for the deaf and hard of hearing community.

Janie Barlow, a Burnsville mom with hearing loss, uses signing and lip reading to communicate with her 5-year-old son and others. She says a cloth mask can get in the way.