Following the current Government guidelines, colleagues in the Disability Unit have been working with Public Health England to design and create a series of downloadable and printable resources to spread awareness and provide clarity around mask exemption for people who would have difficulty with wearing a face covering.
Known as The Face Coverings Exemption Toolkit, the series of resources indicate that an individual is exempt from wearing a face covering because:
- They have a health condition that means that that individual cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering.
- They are with someone who requires lip-reading to communicate.
Please visit, https://coronavirusresources.phe.gov.uk/stay-alert-to-stay-safe-/resources/face-coverings-exemptions-toolkit/ to access information and downloadable resources.
In conjunction with these guidelines, we are now offering a new Mask symbol to be added to your @CredAccessCard to show you have a legitimate and verified reason for exemption.
Current Access Card Holders can request the symbol adding by requesting a review of their application or providing further evidence from a medical professional stating that an exemption is required. This can be submitted, along with a standard £5 reprint fee, here.
For all new Access Card applications please submit the additional evidence as part of the application and explain the issues with wearing a mask in the ‘Anything Else’ section.
We will be looking to clarify the following two points in the Government guidance around exemptions:
- If you have a physical or mental illness or impairment, or a disability that means you cannot put on, wear, or remove a face covering.
- If putting on, wearing, or removing a face covering would cause you severe distress.
For more information, please visit: https://www.accesscard.org.uk/news/mask-exemptions/
There are other schemes available beside the Access Card, which don’t have a verification process for example, The face mask exemption card lanyard or clip badge, provided by Disability Horizons.
You can find advice and support during this pandemic here.
