Learning to Read in My 30s: How My Daughter Inspired My Reading Journey
Imogen Barber
Across England, an estimated 2.4 million working-age adults either cannot read, or struggle to do so. For many, the weight of keeping this a secret creates decades of shame and low self-esteem.
Last week I had the pleasure of chatting to Stephie Bradshaw. Stephie was diagnosed with dyslexia aged 11 and left school pretty much only able to understand three-letter words.
She believed she would never read fluently, but with the support of national adult reading charity, Read Easy, she learned to do so when she was 33 and pregnant with her daughter. Now, Stephie is keen to share her story in the hope it will inspire others.
“Ashamed” of not being able to read
Entering the adult world meant everyday tasks such as reading food labels, doctor’s notes and road signs were a challenge for Stephie.
She tells me that she held down several jobs, working in a factory, stacking shelves, working in restaurants and for Royal Mail, mostly hiding her dyslexia and finding creative ways to avoid having to read.
This took an emotional toll. “I was so ashamed of not being able to learn how to read, it was just eating me up inside”, Stephie says. “You have to put a front on to make out like you do know how to read, you’re a confident person, but inside you’re just going, Oh, my God.”
In the video below, Stephie explains more about facing the stigma around adult reading, but also the many strengths dyslexia can bring.
Called “lazy” by her teacher
Flying under the radar until a support teacher suggested she get tested for dyslexia, school was largely a missed opportunity to get the right help.
So obviously, I heard that every day, so I just stopped trying because even though I was trying, I was getting put down all the time”, Stephie says.
She tells me more about her school experience in the video below.
Learning to read for her daughter
I’m eager to know what prompted Stephie to seek support in her thirties. She tells me it was a BBC documentary featuring a dyslexic celebrity who had learned to read in his fifties. He had done so with the help of Read Easy.
Stephie was pregnant at the time. Watching someone else learn to read in later life and seeing the joy they felt sharing a story with their child sparked something. Still, she was nervous to reach out and her husband contacted the charity on her behalf.
Stephie started attending sessions with her Read Easy volunteer Coach who she describes as someone who “filled me with confidence”. After the first session, Stephie had already set herself a goal of working through the five books that formed the programme.
“I thought, Right, I’m going to finish this. I’m going to do all five books. I’m going to learn how to read…and I’m going to do it for my baby“, she says.
You can watch Stephie describing her reading journey and how she overcame setbacks in the video below.
The book that changed how she viewed reading
During her reading course, Stephie’s coach suggested she read a graphic novel, HeartStopper, which became the first book she was able to finish while actually enjoying the process.
“I got probably halfway through the book, and then I realised, it was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m reading this. I’m understanding this….it was the first book I read and I was loving every word”, Stephie says.
Stephie tells me why Alice Oseman’s HeartStopper has a special place in her heart and what she’s reading now.
‘Just give yourself a chance’
Stephie says that learning to read has transformed the way she views her dyslexia and herself. She has the following message for any adults who may be struggling with reading.
“Just give yourself a chance. I know it’s really scary and you feel like you’re going to set yourself up to fail. You’re not. You’re really not. It’s just finding the right support, which is out there and just please give yourself a chance because you will surprise yourself.”
I ask Stephie what she is currently reading to her children (she now also has a one-year-old) and she tells me they are working their way through Tales from Acre Wood, by Julian Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Bluey, and There’s a Bear in Your Book by Tom Fletcher.
When I ask her how it feels to be able to read to her children, there’s one word she keeps coming back to – “magical”.
Hear from Stephie directly in the video below.
To find out more about reading support, or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer Reading Coach visit: https://readeasy.org.uk/
