Why I Wanted to Become an Adult Reading Coach: The Hidden Reality of Adult Literacy Needs
Imogen Barber
Kay Vallely works for the Shropshire Hills group as a volunteer coach for national adult literacy charity Read Easy UK. She is also a Volunteer Referrals Networker on their management team.
She explains why she got involved in volunteering, what the role of an adult reading coach involves, and how studying with Dyslexia Action is helping to support her work.
What inspired me to become a Reading Coach
My path to Read Easy began in 2020 while watching a BBC documentary. A celebrity with dyslexia shared his dream of wanting to read a story to his teenage daughter at age 50, something he had wanted to do since she was little. It was a Read Easy Coach who had helped with his literacy, and it was incredible to see him finally reading that story.
The documentary was the catalyst, but my motivation was also personal. Studying never came easily to me at school, though I loved learning. I didn’t read as fast or remember things the same way as my peers, which hugely increased my anxiety and meant I had to work hard to pass exams.
Later, becoming a mum and a primary teacher showed me the mechanics of learning to read. Watching that documentary made me realise that adults shouldn’t have to struggle in silence, and I had the skills to help.
The hidden reality of adult literacy needs
Across the UK, an estimated 2.4 million adults cannot read or struggle significantly with reading. Beyond the statistics, this reality affects every corner of daily life. It means struggling to read supermarket signs, decipher bus timetables, understand food labels, or read cooking instructions. It makes following cash machine prompts, applying for new jobs, booking a holiday, or helping a child with their homework feel like insurmountable tasks.
While modern technology is rapidly developing, it rarely heals the years of low self-esteem built up from a lifetime of just trying to cope. That is where Read Easy comes in. We empower adults to build their literacy skills, gain independence, and rebuild their confidence from the ground up.
Every week, I see firsthand how life-changing literacy support can be, and why breaking down the barriers to reading matters so deeply.
How Read Easy Coaches change lives
The charity focuses on providing free, confidential, one-to-one reading support for adults aged 18 and over. Across 80 community-based groups, dedicated volunteers deliver empathetic, skilled support tailored to each individual. While we don’t diagnose dyslexia, many of our readers have dyslexic tendencies. To make learning accessible, our manuals are printed on ivory paper, and we use tools like coloured overlays and personalised adaptations.
As part of my role, I also coordinate a lot of outreach to local community organisations and schools. Because many adults who struggle with reading have developed clever coping mechanisms (or carry deep fears from past educational experiences) they rarely reach out directly.
Coaches deliver an hour of support each week (either in a single session or two half-hour slots) at a local venue, or remotely via digital tablets. Learning English isn’t easy – while there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, they represent 44 distinct sounds. We use the Shannon Trust Turning Pages program, a phonics-based system that pairs reading manuals with level-matched books and interactive word games to keep things fun.
Most importantly, we tailor sessions to our readers’ personal interests. Nothing compares to seeing a reader’s face light up when they read a sentence on their own, or hearing how they can now read their own emails and letters, follow a recipe, or study for their driving theory test.
Listening to a reader terribly upset because they couldn’t understand letters from their child’s school trying to organise special support, was heartbreaking. But I also remember the look on a reader’s face when they read a sentence without help for the first time. Coaching adults one-to-one is incredibly rewarding.
People come to us feeling vulnerable and anxious, but I’ve seen such tenacity, creativity, and success, it never fails to surprise me.
A personal journey of continuous learning
I have just completed the L5 Certificate in Supporting Adults with Dyslexia and Co-occurring Difficulties, with Dyslexia Action Training to extend the impact of the support I can provide.
Taking this course has helped me see how critical metacognition is to effective learning and has given me incredible tools to support myself and others. It feels like the final piece of the puzzle I’ve been looking for!
I have been able to deepen my knowledge of dyslexia and co-occurring difficulties, the role of executive functioning in learning, and, importantly, working memory and cognitive overload. I had an unexpectedly emotional reaction, mostly relief, as it described how I had felt through most of my own school years. There are no live lectures, but there is a mix of resources such as screencasts, podcasts, videos, and presentations, which I like, and the online structure means it is easy to fit around my volunteer work. Tutors are supportive and on hand via email, and they provide detailed feedback on assignments. I also like the fact that discussion and reflection are expected, which is not only interesting, but helps you feel part of a group.
Completing this certificate and gaining professional membership (ADG FE/HE) will enable me to work as a SpLD Study Skills Tutor, something that will directly benefit our readers at Read Easy.
How you can make a difference
You don’t have to be a teacher or take extra qualifications to become a volunteer Coach, but appreciating the English language is important. We value empathy, patience, and excellent listening and questioning skills.
Our volunteers are part of a supportive, close-knit team with access to continuous development, online meetings, and fully funded training.
If you have ever considered helping adults in your community unlock the power of reading, I encourage you to explore the inspiring success stories on the Read Easy website and reach out to your local group.
Taking that first step could change someone’s life forever.
Find out more: https://readeasy.org.uk/
Kay Vallely is a Reading Coach and
Referrals Networker & Coach for Read Easy UK.