A student who was born deaf and unexpectedly diagnosed as deafblind at age 17, has found love, embraced her disability and feels as confident as ever after bein inspired by Tasha Ghouri, Love Island’s first deaf contestant. Paige Barnes, 22, was struggling to see the whiteboard at school, so she decided to go to Specsavers, but ended up in hospital and diagnosed with the rarest form of deafblindness, Usher Syndrome Type 3.
She found it difficult to interact with her hearing peers on her college hairdressing course after attending deaf schools all her life, but since Tasha Ghouri embraced her ‘superpower’ on screen, Paige found the confidence to date hearing people. Paige, who is profoundly deaf, has no peripheral vision and minimal vision at night time, told her boyfriend, Sam George, 25, an aircraft mover at Heathrow Airport, about her condition before they met in person.
She was pleasantly surprised at how understanding he was and he even started learning British Sign Language. In the past, Paige says men have ignored her messages after she has told them she is deafblind, but she believes Tasha Ghouri’s success on Love Island has made people more understanding and open to loving people who are deaf, blind or both.
According to Sense, a charity which provides support for people who are deafblind, Usher Syndrome Type 3 is a rare inherited genetic condition which causes hearing and sight loss. It is present from birth but is usually diagnosed in older children or teenagers, as symptoms can take years to appear. Paige, from London, was born deaf, but in 2017, she discovered she had Usher Syndrome, meaning her vision is limited and likely to deteriorate over time.
Paige was just about to start to learn to drive, but the diagnosis meant she would never be able to get behind the wheel. She was shocked by this news, as she thought her sight was on the same level as those around her.
Paige said: “I discovered I was blind while studying at a deaf school. I was looking at the whiteboard and noticed a blur on the screen.
“I told my mum, and she thought I might need a prescription for glasses, so I went to Specsavers. Next thing you know, I’m in the hospital, and it was a bit of a rollercoaster from there.
“It was a bit of a shock, I just thought everyone else saw the same as me.” Paige attended a deaf boarding school, Mary Hare School, in Newbury, Berkshire, until the end of sixth form and went to a non-specialist college, which was a shock at first.
But Paige said experiencing the wider world has been worth it. She explained: “It was very hard – I struggled with trying to fit in at college.
“The staff at the college didn’t meet me before my first day, and they were concerned about how I was going to hear. They thought deafblind means not being able to hear or see at all.
“I was a very quiet girl and I couldn’t engage with anyone – I had never had hearing friends before. I did struggle with that, but I’m happy now.”
Paige is currently studying hairdressing and experiences frustration when she is unable to hear clients when hairdryers are blowing, but she does not let this get in the way. She said: “Sometimes it gets very tiring, and sometimes I go home upset.
“I have to work a little bit harder, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. I can do whatever I want in my life.”
Like many people her age, dating is a big part of Paige’s life, and choosing when to reveal to a potential partner that she is deafblind is a big decision. Until last year, Paige had never been on a date with a hearing person.
But after seeing Tasha Ghouri, the first deaf contestant on Love Island, on the show last summer, she felt inspired and decided to join a dating app and put herself out there. She said: “It really emotionally affected me when Tasha told the group that she’s deaf because I always struggle with telling new people.
“It’s definitely encouraged me to get out of my shell more and put myself out there. I always used to wear my hair down to cover my cochlear implant, but seeing Tasha proudly showing hers off has given me the confidence to wear my hair up more.”
So, after gaining the confidence to join Tinder, she began chatting with Sam, her now boyfriend, and told him that she was deaf within a week of back-and-forth messages. She said: “I figured he’s going to find out sooner or later, so I’d rather tell him sooner.
“Luckily, he responded positively and has been very supportive.” But it took Paige a few weeks longer to tell him that she is deafblind, explaining: “It’s a big deal for me to tell people I’m deafblind because there are so many misconceptions about what that means.
“People assume you can’t see or hear anything and that you might not be able to communicate. In reality, deafblind is a spectrum, and everyone who has it will have different amounts they can see and hear.
“I had an experience in the past where I told a guy that I was deaf, and he completely ignored the message. To me that’s a red flag because someone who cares about you will want to learn more about your identity and how to support you.”
But Paige’s boyfriend was very supportive and asked questions to understand her condition better. After the pair became official, he even started to learn British Sign Language and sent her a video of himself signing ‘good morning’ as Paige cannot hear very well when she wakes up.
