About Beverly:

At age 44, Beverley contacted the Big Plus and started with a numeracy tutor, three years later she achieved SQA Core Skills Level 4 Numeracy and has gained a skill with numbers that she never imagined possible.  Beverly has also been active with Moray Adult Learner’s Forum (MALF) and other learning opportunities. Her renewed confidence in learning will see her graduate from Moray College with a City and Guilds Design and Craft next year.  

Describe any obstacles or problems you had to overcome in order to participate in learning.  
I suddenly became very ill with ulcerative colitis, and ended up losing my job because of it. My life (and my family’s life) changed drastically. I had to have 3 very major operations over a number of years. Each anaesthetic seemed to slow my memory down more and more. I caught MRSA in hospital as well, and sometimes I still struggle with depression.
I very much questioned and re-assessed things of my past that I felt were related to the amount of information I could take in as a child and how much I could or could not process. 
My mind went back to being a 9 year old girl and struggling with maths…
I was so determined to find out if I could do this thing called maths, AND YES I CAN! 

How has this literacies learning experience changed your life? 
I am more interested in education, and the ways in which people find it easiest to learn. I can help my daughters with their homework and I enjoyed parents evening talking to the maths teacher about my adult numeracy learning. I am now more confident, better organised, find communication easier, have made good friends through the working with others qualification. I am more realistic about my own strengths and weaknesses and limits, and those of others. I am better now at asking for help. 
I have become more assertive and better at setting my own boundaries.
I could go on and on.  

What are your plans for the future?  
I need to finish off my embroidered textiles diploma, and then I have some decisions to make which I am still thinking about. I definitely want to carry on with the textile stuff, should it be in the form of setting up in business, doing further textile/Art studies?. At some point I would now  like to study the ECDL as I feel confident enough to do so and  maybe maths at a higher level??? 
I don’t suppose I need to do the last bit, but I found the subject so fascinating!

For more information see the Literacy Action Plan and The Scottish Survey of Adult Literacies (SSAL).