The UK’s most popular baking show, The Great British Bake Off (or GBBO) is now in its 14th season but the show still celebrated a first this year with the inclusion of the show’s first ever deaf contestant!
Twenty-seven-year-old baker Tasha Stones is a participation officer and has worked with the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) for several years. She is joined on the show by her British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, Daryl.
On the show, Tasha uses a mix of speech and BSL to communicate with the judges and her fellow contestants. It’s even been reported that judges Pru Leith and Paul Hollywood have been brushing up their signing skills so that they’re able to wish Tasha good luck and congratulate her on her baking!
So far, Tasha has won Star Baker twice, first in week two of the show, wowing the judges with her biscuit showstopper and again the following week, when she impressed the judges with her bread-making skills! She’s since made it through to the quarter final, along with fellow bakers, Dan, Josh, Matty and Cristy.
Why Is D/deaf Representation Important?
Around 12 million people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing, which is the equivalent of 1 in 5 adults and there are more than 50,000 deaf children living in the UK. It’s vital, therefore, that these people see themselves represented on screen and in the media.
A lack of representation can lead to people feeling isolated and unworthy. They may struggle with their D/deaf identity and feel negatively about their condition. A lack of deaf representation also leads to misconceptions and stereotypes among the general public.
Good representation is particularly important for children growing up with hearing loss, and they need to be able to see both real-life people and fictional characters who are deaf or hard of hearing.
In recent years, people have begun to recognise the importance of inclusion and representation among marginalised groups, including those with disabilities or communication differences, and as a result, we are beginning to see a more diverse range of people on our screens.
Much like Tasha, who is a trailblazer for deaf bakers, Rose Ayling Ellis was the first ever deaf contestant on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing back in 2021. She wanted to challenge the perception that deaf people can’t dance or enjoy music, and she certainly achieved that! Rose went on to win the show, lifting the glitterball trophy alongside her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice.
Like Tasha, Rose used a combination of speech, lip-reading and BSL to communicate and the impact of her time on the show can still be seen by viewers today with several Strictly professionals and contestants still using sign language to give thanks and appreciation to their voters and audience.
Deaf representation in the media also helps to raise awareness, which is important for acceptance and understanding in wider society. Typically, people’s understanding of deafness is often limited unless they have personal experience of deafness or know someone who is deaf. Even then, people often don’t realise the many different causes and types of deafness, along with the wide range of devices and technology that are frequently used to improve hearing and the many different communication methods used by the D/deaf community.
What Kind of Hearing Aid Does Tasha Wear?
Tasha hasn’t yet spoken publicly about her hearing aid, preferring to keep the focus on her baking, but she appears to wear a cochlear implant during filming and her brightly-coloured processor has been a hot topic of conversation on social media. In one of our recent blogs, we explained what a cochlear implant is and who it can benefit, as well as the differences between a cochlear implant and a bone anchored hearing aid.
Why Does Tasha Need an Interpreter if She Has a Hearing Aid?
This is a question lots of people have been asking since Tasha’s first appearance on GBBO. Many people assume that a hearing aid or implant is very much like being given a pair of glasses to correct your vision and that once you have your glasses (or hearing aid) in place you can then see (or hear) perfectly! However, for many deaf people, this simply isn’t the case!
Hearing aids and implants do not necessarily restore full hearing, rather they improve the amount or quality of sound the wearer can hear. This means a significant portion of deaf people will still use other methods to communicate, whether that’s lip-reading or using sign language.
What Is British Sign Language (BSL)?
British Sign Language is one of the most used sign languages globally, alongside American Sign Language (ASL) and Chinese Sign Language (abbreviated to CSL or ZGS).
According to the 2021 census, British Sign Language (BSL) is the preferred language of over 22,000 people across England and Wales. You can get started learning BSL by mastering some basic fingerspelling and following online tutorials. If you want to take your studies further and become more fluent when communicating with deaf people, there are accredited courses you can take and work towards a recognised qualification, such as a Level 1 Award in British Sign Language.
The NDCS is also leading the Right to Sign campaign, which has been calling for the introduction of a BSL GCSE in secondary schools. Launched in 2017, the initiative has very nearly reached its goal, and the UK government is currently finalising a course that will be introduced in September 2025. The new GCSE will enable deaf children to achieve a GCSE in their own, legally recognised language.
What is the Benefit of Tasha Having a BSL Interpreter on the Show?
Having a BSL interpreter on Bake Off ensures that Tasha has fair and equal access to communication alongside the other bakers, so that she doesn’t miss instructions from the judges or time calls from the hosts, and allows her to describe her bakes to the judges and get detailed feedback from them.
Even if a person uses a hearing device such as a BAHA or cochlear implant, they may prefer to communicate using speech some or all of the time. It’s important to bear in mind that how clearly a person speaks isn’t necessarily related to how well they can hear and vice versa so don’t make assumptions.
How Can I Follow Tasha’s Progress on the Great British Bake Off?
The show airs every Tuesday on Channel 4 at 8 pm GMT. If you want to watch the show with BSL, it’s available on Freeview channel 4Seven at the same time and every season 14 episode is also available to stream with BSL here on the Channel 4 website.
You can also follow the contestants’ progress on the Bake Off online and through the GBBO social media channels. The National Deaf Children’s Society is also documenting Tasha’s progress on X (formerly Twitter).
Where Can I Learn More?
There are many UK organisations and charities that provide information and support to deaf people, their families and friends and professionals.
Here are just some of the resources available:
The Royal National Institute For Deaf People (RNID)
The Royal Association For Deaf People
British Deaf Association (BDA)
SignHealth: The Deaf Health Charity
The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS)
You can also visit our blog to learn all about bone anchored hearing aids (also known as BAHAs or BCHAs).
Get In Touch
Here at BAHA Accessories, we’re passionate about D/deaf representation in the media, and it’s been great to see a deaf contestant on GBBO. We hope Tasha continues to do well and wish her good luck with this week’s challenges!
If you’re looking for more information about bone-anchored hearing aids or BAHA headbands, please visit our blog or get in touch and we’ll do our best to help.
We’re also more than happy to talk you through our various products and designs and how they work to make sure that they’re the right choice for you. Get in touch today by calling 07432 620644 or emailing sales@bahaaccessoriesuk.com. You can also fill in our online contact form and we’ll get back to you ASAP. We look forward to hearing from you!