Pauline Brown from Cambridge has Usher's Syndrome, a rare genetic condition which causes both blindness and hearing loss. Now 57, Pauline has been registered blind for more than 20 years and her hearing has been impaired since birth.

Sporty and academically very able, Pauline excelled at school and, after completing her A-levels, she went on to train as a primary school teacher and specialised in teaching children with visual impairments.

Pauline, a keen traveller who has already explored Nepal, Vietnam, Egypt, Guatemala, Canada, Costa Rica and Zanzibar, says: "You have to focus on the positive - on what's possible, and what you can achieve - instead of the negatives".

Click here to read Pauline's full story.