A Thunder Bay woman is making masks for people who read lips to communicate.
Lisa Kokanie tells us she is working on a pattern in which a window goes in front of the mouth so people hard of hearing can see the lips.
“I’m also hoping to share this mask with speech pathologists in Thunder Bay so when they’re working with their clients they can still do so yet maintain requirements to be masked,” says the local woman.
However, she adds putting them together can be a bit tricky. “One of the issues with the window mask is that when you add a piece of stiff plastic into the mask, it can alter how the mask fits the face. So you really have to be able to balance the amount of fabric with the amount of plastic so it seals on the face properly.”
She started making the cloth surgical masks without the window for free, for family and friends who had major health issues such as cancer, asthma or emphysema. However, they grew more popular, in that she makes them almost every night, but for free. She adds family and friends suggest she charge for them, but in lieu of that, Kokanie is accepting donations for material, which can be done through her Facebook page at “Pay It Forward Thunder Bay Masks”. The masks with the window came after, and there is a charge for those.
