IT for the Ministry of Defence

I work in IT for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) because…

I like making sure that everyone has access to technology and can use it to achieve their potential.

I do web development, publicity work, customer engagement and help manage my team’s information for stakeholders and customers.

I became interested in computer programming at 13 when my parents got me a Sinclair computer. By 26 I had several IT qualifications and gained work experience at a big US corporation. I was unemployed long-term after returning to the UK, before starting at the MoD.

I have Usher Syndrome and I’m profoundly deaf and visually impaired. I use a large print keyboard, screen readers and magnifiers for my visual impairment. I also use British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters and notetakers.

I was the first person born deaf to pass the Mensa entrance exam and won the Young Deaf Achiever of the Year award in 1990.

Yvonne Mqadi