‘Leicestershire CareOnLine’ Kathy's story

Kathy is blind and lives alone in LFE. She worked as a Telephonist for many years before retiring and now volunteers at a school, helping children with their reading. Although Kathy had typing experience and Braille, she had never used a computer. At Christmas 2009 she was staying with a blind friend who was using e-mail to communicate with family and friends. Kathy had a go and wanted to learn for herself. In January she spoke to her friends Malcolm and Retta (see stories above and below) who recommended she get in touch with CareOnLine. Within a week, Kathy had been visited and plans put in place to provide a county council recycled computer and support to get Kathy online. CareOnLine worked with Vista (society for people with sight loss) to apply for a grant to buy the ‘Guide’ screenreader software and a scanner to enable Kathy to be more independent and read her own mail instead of relying on visitors; by early March the money was available. CareOnLine installed the computer and set up Broadband, helped Kathy to buy the software and supported her with training.
Kathy very quickly mastered the computer and was sending e-mails to her friends within days. She continues to teach herself new skills and is learning to use the Internet. In an e-mail to CareOnLine in April 2010, less than a month after starting on the computer, Kathy says,
“I am really enjoying being cyber person! It really is a totally new dimension. Friends seem so much nearer now somehow. Thank you for your help in enabling me to have a new lease of life. I am honestly amazed at the difference having a computer has made and is making to my life and wonder how I managed without one for so long. I have read some post on the scanner, which is a modern miracle, without any exaggeration. with all this technology at my finger tips I asked myself the question, who needs to see!! Although of course, I am glad that people can!! We could not manage without you, although I still maintain that there are still some advantages of not being able to see,,,! Emails are my favourite mode of communication. Some people might think it is a fools game, introducing technology to blind people and would give up at the start, but really you are enabling us to have a new lease of life and enlarge our potential. “

‘Leicestershire CareOnLine’ Julia’s story 2010.

‘Leicestershire CareOnLine’ Julia’s story 2010.

Julia is 56 and lives alone. She has learning difficulties and lost her job over 2 years ago. Julia became very low, lost her confidence and felt very isolated as her sister lives in the USA and her daughters are away at college. Julia had no computer experience and admitted being “quite frightened” of them. Breaking the Barriers (Leicestershire Adult Social Care service helping people with disabilities gain new skills and find work) referred Julia to CareOnLine to see if they could help.

Following an assessment of need, CareOnLine provided Julia with a Laptop and helped with accessing the internet and email. The CareOnLine Training Officer visited regularly to encourage her to gain confidence and new skills. Working with CareOnLine, Breaking the Barriers and Leicestershire Adult learning Service, Julia found specialist courses on confidence-building, literacy and numeracy and employability. Julia has subsequently passed computer and Adult Literacy courses using the computer to access internet learning and complete her course work.

Julia now works as a volunteer in her local Library twice a week and is actively looking for a new job. Since mastering email Julia is now able to communicate with her family and friends, making her feel less isolated.

Julia says: ‘I was a computer novice. I felt left behind, ignorant and out of touch with the world, now I am much happier, having the computer has given me a new perspective on my life. I feel much more confident and have now bought my own laptop.’