Is it truly religious, or is a requirement for face covering a smokescreen for sexism that has a cultural basis?

Further, if I were a hearing disabled man who was assigned to work with someone at a government office who happened to be a woman wearing a niqab or some other garment covering her face, would I have the right to ask to work for someone else whose face was uncovered, or not?  If she's not allowed to uncover her face in my presence and I'm not able to hear her, whose rights prevail?