World of words opens up for Michael

After a lifetime facing barriers to literacy, Community Connecting client Michael is delighted to have read his first two books.

Michael joined Breakthrough’s connecting service with his main goal to improve his reading and writing.

He said, “I’ve always been nervous about reading in case I got laughed at. I use pictures a lot, as they help me get around in everyday life.”

Michael worked with Connector Danielle, who matched him with a tutor at Manchester Adult Learning Service.

Reading and writing are skills that many of us take for granted. However, for Michael, not being able to read and write has been an ongoing barrier.

Now he is a regular visitor at the library and looks forward to improving his skills, and reading more.

He added, “I like them; they are funny and have simple words in. I’d like to be able to read magazines and books about the hobbies and things I’m interested in, like transport and trains.”

Michael is now keen to build on his skills so he can expand his book collection and read sci-fi including Star Trek.