Paige Barnes, a 25-year-old airport security guard from Chessington, Greater London, is deaf and blind yet works full-time, cares for two daughters under two, and is training for a marathon. She was diagnosed with Usher's syndrome type 3 at age 17, a rare genetic condition affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 people that causes progressive hearing and vision loss.
Discovering Her Blindness
Paige, who has worn a cochlear implant since infancy and relies on lip reading, only learned she was registered blind during a routine optician visit with her mother. The optician informed her mother, who was shocked, saying, 'No, it can't be true.' Paige explained, 'I'd always had poor eyesight, but I had just assumed it was normal and that everyone saw the world that way.'
Workplace Success at Heathrow
Paige works on security lanes at Heathrow Airport, conducting body searches, bag checks, scanning boarding passes, and patrolling terminals. She notes, 'Although my peripheral vision is affected, my central vision is strong, so visual tasks are one of my strengths.' Patrolling is challenging due to radio communication, but her employer provided adjustments. She wears a hidden disability lanyard and walks slower in busy areas. 'My condition has made me resilient, determined, and always focused on safety,' she says.
Dating and Finding Love
Paige faced rejection on dating apps after disclosing her disability. 'Nobody wanted to date me. When I made a Tinder profile, I spoke to a couple of boys, but when they found out I was deafblind, I never heard from them again.' In November 2022, Sam George, 28, also a Heathrow worker, messaged her. She was wary but agreed to meet. Sam's response when she told him she was deaf – 'Is your blood red? ... Everyone is the same' – made her emotional. 'I knew he was the one,' she says. Sam adds, 'I don't wake up every day and think, I'm with a deafblind girl. To me, she's just Paige.'
Motherhood and Adaptations
Paige worried about passing Usher's syndrome to her daughters, Arabella (18 months) and Millie (3 months), but both were born hearing well. Being a deafblind mother presents challenges: she cannot drive, needs full lights at night, and has to feel for dropped dummies. She once accidentally crashed her pram into another mum. However, she plans ahead, sticks to routines, and keeps her children close. 'We still go swimming, to soft play, the park – just like any other family,' she says.
Advocacy and Future Plans
Paige is sharing her story for Disability Pride Month and is running a marathon for Sense, a charity supporting deafblind people. She aims to raise her daughters as 'disability advocates' and is considering a third baby and marriage to Sam. 'People may assume I shouldn't be a mum because I am deaf and blind. But my kids have all the love in the world,' she concludes.
