Woman abused for removing mask on train so deafblind sister could read her lips

Luke O'Reilly24 July 2020

A teenager was subjected to a tirade of verbal abuse after she briefly lifted her face covering on a train so her deafblind sister could read her lips.

Karolina Pakenaite, who has Usher syndrome, was travelling to Southport with her 16-year-old sister Saule and guide dog when they were confronted by another passenger.

Despite explaining that 24-year-old Ms Pakenaite’s condition meant she was both hard of hearing and visually impaired, the woman refused to accept their explanation.

Their ordeal was recorded on a mobile phone as they travelled on a Merseyrail train from Liverpool Central on July 16.

It is mandatory to wear masks on public transport
PA

The woman can be heard in the two minute-long clip questioning whether Ms Pakenaite was really “deafblind” after she was able to respond to her comments.

“You’re taking the p***, you,” the woman tells them.

Ms Pakenaite’s younger sister later responds: “Legally she is deafblind. There’s a spectrum. Google it.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

After the passenger questioned why she had moved her mask, Ms Pakenaite’s sister said in a distressed tone: “So she could lip read me. What do you want?”

The woman goes on to say “deafblind my a***”, before another passenger intervenes.

Disabled people who cannot safely wear one are exempt
PA

The main symptoms of Usher syndrome are hearing loss and an eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa, which causes night blindness and a loss of peripheral vision.

While all passengers are required to wear a face covering while on public transport, Government guidance says disabled people who cannot safely wear one are exempt.

Those who provide support to disabled people who may rely on lip reading, facial expressions and clear sound for communication, are also allowed to not wear one.

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