Finding Their Voice: Rose Brown and graduate Natasha Cowley share their journey

RADA graduate Natasha Cowley recently took part in the wonderful Finding Their Voice campaign with National Star College, allowing a bespoke voice to be created for performing arts student Rose Brown.

Rose uses a communication device, having been left unable to walk or talk after being hit by a drink driver at the age of 12. She attends National Star College, an FE college for that helps young disabled people to realise their aspirations and potential. They launched the Finding Their Voice campaign in order to provide bespoke digital voices for students like Rose, allowing them to express themselves in a voice that fits their age, where they're from and their personality.

RADA helped National Star College to find voice donors from amongst our recent graduates, and we're delighted that some of our graduates are now working on the project.

Rose selected Natasha, who graduated from RADA in 2016, from a database of potential voices. They recently appeared on BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show to talk about their journey together and share how much it meant to both of them. Rose explained: "My new voice makes me sound like me and represents my personality. I was grateful to have a voice to be able to speak to people myself but my old voice made me feel like a boring middle-aged woman and not the bubbly, friendly 21-year-old that I am. I love using it and seeing people's reactions to it".

Natasha added: "Everyone deserves a right to speak, a voice. To be able to give that to someone is amazing".

You can hear more about Rose's story here and in the clip below.