The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Layla hopes deaf Love Island entrant Tasha can raise awareness
As Love Islanders head into the villa for a summer of sitting round the fire pit and meeting their type on paper, one Fife teenager is particularly excited.
Show fan Layla Cooke, from Windygates, who is deaf, is dedicated to raising awareness of British Sign Language (BSL) and what it’s like to be part of the deaf community.
So, this year, she has a special reason to watch the show – the first deaf contestant, Tasha Ghouri, will enter the villa in the hope of finding her perfect match.
Layla, along with other fans, will be sitting down tonight to watch season eight of the hit ITV show kick-off
She said: “I’m so excited for Tasha to go on Love Island. I think it will be a great opportunity for more deaf awareness to be given to the public.
“It’s really exciting the filming industry is becoming more inclusive and giving individuals the chance to represent their disability and spread awareness.
“It shows we are normal people too, and nothing can stop us.”
Tasha was born deaf and wears a cochlear implant which turns sound into electrical signals and can help her recognise words and better understand speech.
Layla added: “For me personally, I find it hard to understand different accents, so challenges on the show may be hard.
“If everyone is shouting at the same time it may be hard for Tasha to understand what is actually being said.
“I also can’t get my ears wet so any pool activities would be a no-go for me.
“I hope the other contestants have enough knowledge about deafness before going into the villa.
“But I hope they’ll also learn more in there, which will help include Tasha.
“Every one of us will have different strategies we need in place to help us.
“If the other islanders take the time to learn hers, I think that will be great.
“It is important the audience remembers there will definitely be things that are harder for Tasha.
“Supporting her will be the best thing anyone can do.
“Her dreams won’t be stopped by her deafness.”
The representation of the deaf community was improved last year when Rose Ayling-Ellis appeared on Strictly Come Dancing.
But Layla says there’s still a long way to go.
“Since Rose competed on Strictly, there has been more representation, which is great.
“But I do still think a lot can be done to improve this.
“I’d love to see the audience learning that disabilities don’t stop individuals from doing what they love and we aren’t any less than anyone else.”
She added: “By Tasha going into the villa, I feel she will become a role model for other individuals.
“It shows we can be deaf and cool and just normal people.”