Deafblind Son Makes EastEnders Debut
A mother expressed pride as her five-year-old deafblind son made his acting debut on the BBC One soap EastEnders, hoping it will help "break down barriers" for disabled children.
Harvey Hind, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, appeared in the episode aired on Wednesday, portraying Arlo, a pre-school boy who is registered blind.
His mother, Kimberly, said:
"I hope Harvey featuring in EastEnders shows other disabled children, especially those who are deafblind, that they can achieve anything.
Harvey loves being in the spotlight but for us the most important thing will always be raising awareness and breaking down barriers so every disabled child gets the same opportunities as anyone else."
Kimberly added:
"Harvey did amazingly at the filming, I'm so proud of him. There were four cameras on him but he took it all in his stride."
Episode Details
In the episode, Arlo and his mother visit Lauren Branning and Peter Beale's house, where Arlo plays with their son, Jimmy, who was revealed to be blind in a storyline last year. Arlo's mother offers Lauren advice on raising a blind child.
Harvey's Early Diagnosis and Communication
Off-screen, Harvey was diagnosed as blind at three months old after failing his newborn hearing screening test at about four weeks and his mother noticing a flicker in his eye around the same time. The family sought a private consultation for the diagnosis.
Harvey uses a red-and-white striped cane, which is a mobility aid for deafblind individuals, and communicates using British Sign Language (BSL). He also wears cochlear implants that provide him access to sound.
Challenges and Support
Kimberly described the first two years of Harvey's life as difficult due to communication challenges. She had to leave work to care for him as he became increasingly distressed attending a mainstream nursery.
Disability charity Sense assigned a specialist to work with the family, which Kimberly described as "life-saving."
She reflected:
"I was so anxious when I found out Harvey was deafblind, so his character's storyline resonated with me a lot.
I didn't have any experience with disability and I kept imagining the worst-case scenarios.
Luckily, with the support of organisations like Sense, Harvey is now a really happy child who is eager to learn, loves exploring and has a cheeky personality."
Additional Information
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