July 9, 2020
NEW YORK -- A New Yorker, now living in Seattle, is on a mission to expand the availability of see-through masks amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
Gypsy Lovett launched Not My Circus Co. on Etsy and quickly began receiving orders from people around the country.
The masks require regular treatment to prevent fogging. Lovett provides instructions with each order.
Lovett said the masks have been particularly popular among people working with children, individuals with hearing loss and their families, and individuals with autism.
Many individuals with autism have sensory sensitivities irritated by traditional masks and rely on visual cues like a smile or a frown for communication.
"It's not touching my mouth," said Lovett while demonstrating her design. "So for kids with sensory issues, I find this more helpful. I have had a number of families who have just reached out to say, 'Thank you so much. Our whole family has really been struggling.'"
Lovett's masks aren't FDA-approved, but they have been popular among everyday users.
She also hopes the FDA approves additional sources of see-through masks in part because she has had her own personal experiences struggling to communicate with doctors wearing a mask.
In the meantime, Lovett said, she's been grateful for the opportunity to give back during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"What I have come to appreciate is how much you miss in communication when you can only see someone's eyes," Lovett said. "It restores a little bit of humanity for all of us perhaps."
NEW YORK -- A New Yorker, now living in Seattle, is on a mission to expand the availability of see-through masks amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
Gypsy Lovett launched Not My Circus Co. on Etsy and quickly began receiving orders from people around the country.
The masks require regular treatment to prevent fogging. Lovett provides instructions with each order.
Lovett said the masks have been particularly popular among people working with children, individuals with hearing loss and their families, and individuals with autism.
Many individuals with autism have sensory sensitivities irritated by traditional masks and rely on visual cues like a smile or a frown for communication.
"It's not touching my mouth," said Lovett while demonstrating her design. "So for kids with sensory issues, I find this more helpful. I have had a number of families who have just reached out to say, 'Thank you so much. Our whole family has really been struggling.'"
Lovett's masks aren't FDA-approved, but they have been popular among everyday users.
She also hopes the FDA approves additional sources of see-through masks in part because she has had her own personal experiences struggling to communicate with doctors wearing a mask.
In the meantime, Lovett said, she's been grateful for the opportunity to give back during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"What I have come to appreciate is how much you miss in communication when you can only see someone's eyes," Lovett said. "It restores a little bit of humanity for all of us perhaps."
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#AllAutistics
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Max’s autism diagnosis three years ago gave me an unspeakable sense of relief. When a friend asked me later that day how I was feeling, I could only describe it in this way: “I feel empty and full at the same time.”
After years of being dismissed as hysterical and overprotective, I welcomed the diagnosis as overdue validation. To be seen and heard is always humanizing, and as a woman in the world, I have confronted my own invisibility more times than I wish to recall. The diagnosis, in my mind, represented progress.
[...] there is a kind of wildness and whimsy to our home’s untidiness, an unpredictability that mirrors the neurological difference produced by Max’s migration abnormalities. Spatula in the bathroom? Bewildering. Four backpacks, two shoe boxes and an old purse stacked in my study, full of toys and trifles and important documents? Overwhelming.
Last autumn when my best friend visited, she looked at me endearingly and said, “Why are there pennies everywhere?”
I don’t know why, my friend, but I do know who.
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By Corey Atad
July 7, 2020
“What is the most important thing in life? Many people would answer: LOVE. There is a common misconception that people on the autism spectrum are not interested in relationships or romance. From my experience, this simply isn’t true,” said director Cian O’Cleary to Entertainment Weekly in a statement.
