Natalie Curran

Mathematics Masters Student and Assistive Technology Specialist at University of York and the BBC

Digital and Tech

When I was 13, I devised a new way of writing maths. My method was both accessible to me as a braille user and understandable to my sighted teachers, and now my university lecturers.

As far as I know, I was the first, and so far the only, visually impaired pupil to sit five Highers, equivalent to four AS levels. And I am definitely the first visually impaired, let alone blind, student to study mathematics at the University of York. With a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and a diploma in maths, I was able to go straight to the Masters. I commenced my Mathematical Finance MSC part-time because just two weeks before, I had started my first full-time job at the BBC!

On a charitable note, when I was 18, I raised over £2,700 skydiving for Visibility Scotland (a charity supporting people with sight and hearing loss). I’ve also been a consultant for the charity’s new independent living flat, which is designed using standard products that are put together into an accessible setup. In addition, I’ve spoken at several charity fund raisers, helping to raise over £100,000; and I’ve been a mentor with Look UK, another sight loss charity, for over three years, working with teenagers with visual impairments and/or aspirations similar to myself.