John, 59, from Harrow who learnt with UCanDoIT:
“I was born blind, and attended the Sunshine Home for the Blind from 1953 to 1958, then Dorton House School and later Hethersett College. I got an RSA and NVQ in Word Star and Word Perfect at RNIB college.
I consider myself lucky, since I’ve received decent education and training. Recently I was made redundant from RLSB where I had worked for 13 years. I heard about UCanDoIT from our Blind Union. Social Services and the local council have always been very helpful
I took the course because I felt I was lagging behind in my computer knowledge, I hear people talking about emailing, using the Internet for shopping, banking and entertainment. I felt the course would fill the gaps I had in my computer training. So, I jumped at the chance and applied.
I hope to catch up with lots of things –all I knew from the past has long gone. It scares me a bit, but I want to learn. I want to be able to communicate by email, to download music and listen to music live. I want to learn how to shop online and I am now discovering Skype, and of course, I am still keen to go back to work and hope this newly acquired knowledge will boost my chances. The course means a lot to me, it keeps my mind active, and having a tutor at home is perfect. It’s a wonderful opportunity for people in my situation.”
