Deaf Cheltenham model calls for more representation in media
22 year old Imy Harris recently modelled for Vogue wearing her cochlear implant.
A deaf model from Cheltenham who recently modelled for Vogue is advocating for more representation of the deaf community in media.
22 year old Imy Harris has been using a cochlear implant since 2023 and says she never saw much representation of deaf people in the media or around her.
She says being able to see someone who has gone through similar experiences to yourself helps you feel less alone and promotes more empathy and understanding from those who aren’t in the community.
Speaking to Greatest Hits radio she said “I do feel like for a long time I felt like I didn’t see anyone who looked like me or share the same experiences.
“The lack of visibility fuelled the desire for me to change that, apart from when I saw Tasha from love island and rose on Strictly Come Dancing in the last couple of years.
“There definitely has been a shift.”
The model says there is still a lot more that needs to be done to help educate people and improve accessibility for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
“The importance of providing accommodation in captions or captions in the media or captions in public spaces and events.
“I remember one time I went to a festival and they put caption on the screen when the singer was singing and it just completely changed the game because I could actually follow along and understand what was going on.”