Studying With Dyslexia

Private HomeCare’s Annual Graduation ceremony for our QQI professional home care assistants took place on May 27th 2022. 

Whilst we are proud of every single graduate, some had unique stories of the challenges they faced on their journey. Here, Sam shares her experience of studying with dyslexia. 

Please note Sam’s talk is in bullet format which Private HomeCare scribed following an interview with her to prepare for the graduation. Sam explained bullet format is easier for people with dyslexia to absorb. These are Sam’s words.

WELCOME

Good evening

• My name is Samantha Ward. I am delighted to graduate tonight, with my class mates. 
• Private HomeCare have asked me to speak to you about my experience of studying with dyslexia.

BACKGROUND

• • I have dyslexia.
  • This impacts me in the following ways :
    • If you hand me a piece of paper, the information doesn’t go in.
    • Words jumble up so they don’t go into my head.
    • It takes me 10 mins to read something.
• It works better if some-one sits down with me and explains topics to me,  one by one,  and in bullet points.

PREVIOUS STUDIES

• I went to college twice but dropped out  both time as there was too much effort with the reading. 
• The first time, I went straight to college from school. I was thrown in with everyone else. I told the college I was dyslexic and they just gave me a laptop. 
• I couldn’t get assignments in on time. 
• No one sat down to explain anything. 
• There was one teacher for everybody. 
• That was years ago. At the time, the thinking was “ here is someone with dyslexia, here’s a laptop, this will help.” How does that help ? It’s still reading and writing, that’s the same thing!
• The second time I tried an online course. But when I needed help,  I had to book in for an appointment, but it was a week after I needed it !. And if I needed to talk to someone, it was all online.

MY LONG TERM GOAL

• My long term goal is to work as a Mental Health Psychologist. 
•  I want to work with youth groups and prisons and other underprivileged areas.
• I started with Private HomeCare as I needed qualifications to allow me go back to college, so I can study mental health.
• I am looking to start a course in September. It will be part time and might take 3-4 years. 

STUDYING FOR THIS QUALIFICATION

• I finished secondary school, and as I said before, I tried college twice before but had to drop out as at the time, it wasn’t easy to study with dyslexia.
• So you can understand that when I first started with Private Homecare, I was freaking out!
• As soon as I met Linda, I felt great.
• Lind would sit down with me and explain everything to me. 
• I learnt quite a lot.
• It was great to have practical skills as part of the course as that took me away from reading books and writing essays.
• Essays were the hardest. It can take me weeks to write something up. And I was working at the same time.
• Courses flew by! I studied Communications, Care Support, Care Skills, Care of the Elderly, Health Infection and Prevention, Safety. 
• Now I can apply to do my degree course. 

PRIVATE HOMECARE

• I am working with Private HomeCare for 2 years
• I like the flexibility it offers me.
• I can work and study.
• Many people cannot afford to stop work completely to study for years. A 9-5 job wouldn’t let you go to college.
• Working and studying with Private HomeCare is a great solution.

NEXT COURSE

I am looking forward to starting a degree course. Thankfully there are more resources in education for people with dyslexia. I know more too. I can go up to a teach and ask them to explain things to me.

I WOULD ADVISE OTHERS WITH CHALLENGES TO CONSIDER STUDYING

• Go for it!
• Your challenges, like my dyslexia, don’t have to stop you getting a degree. 
• There are people who can help.
• Education can take you in the right direction.

We greatly admire Sam’s tenacity and success in gaining her qualifications, through our inhouse training department.

Sam also commented that working with Private HomeCare gives people the opportunity to study at the same time, which might not be possible in other jobs which are not so flexible.

Congratulations to Sam and her classmates on achieving their national QQI qualifications – and whilst working too!

To learn more about working as a home care assistant, please visit https://www.privatehomecare.ie/careers/