“The classroom didn’t give me the fix of science that I needed.” Meet: Deaf social entrepreneur Josh Taylor

This interview was organised in association with our supporter, Phonak.

Tell us about your interest in science/space – when did that begin?

I’ve always been fascinated by the outside world and the way it works.

However, learning from a white board inside a classroom wasn’t giving me the fix of science that I needed and I often ran out of motivation to pursue it further.

Whenever I could I would go outside or into the garage and experiment with whatever I could find! Eventually that ended up with a weather balloon travelling into space….

How did you hear about Branson’s challenge?

The Richard Branson challenge came about because I tweeted him and asked him to challenge me.

He then decided that he would like to see how far under the Ocean I could explore. Being ambitious I wanted to do something no one had ever attempted before and so I went out to the deepest trench in the Atlantic Ocean to launch my submersible.

How did it go?

It went very well. Although I lost the actual submersible, we were able to recover some data and when translated, it showed us how far under the Ocean the submersible went – nearly all the way to the bottom!

How deaf are you?

I wear Phonak Lyrics all the time and wouldn’t go back. Not only are they discreet and invisible but they have great sound quality and are comfortable in the ear.

I used to just wear one for ease but not there is so little upkeep with the Lyrics that I can wear both and not have to think about it.

What are your future ambitions?

In the future I’d like to continue with my projects and hopefully inspire other generations to have a go at whatever they are determined to achieve in life!