FLINT, Michigan — Flint’s Factory Two makerspace was founded on a belief that providing access to tools, training, and space can unlock the creative potential of people of all ages and backgrounds in a community.
That’s exactly how it helped a project come to life for Flint resident Naomi Villaranda. Villaranda was approached by a former Factory Two employee, Jon Hardman, about possibly using her skewing skills to create masks for Deaf and Hard of Hearing families in the community.
In an interview with Flintside earlier this year, Yuliette Parks, a Deaf Flint resident, noted how difficult mask mandates have been for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people who rely on lip-reading to community.
“People with masks on is a huge barrier for us. It’s hard to communicate,” Parks said in the interview. “It’s confusing, you know, to see a person with a mask. I don’t know if they’re talking…
