Earley and Woodley Day Service customers learn about IT

During last month (June), our customers from the Learning Disability Day Service bases in Earley and Woodley took up the opportunity to take part in a free five-week IT course run by a local IT college tutor, and supported by Optalis' Day Service staff.

This was due not least to the good partnership-working between Earley Day Service and the Crescent Resource Centre (where they are based). The centre has a very well-equipped IT suite, with 10 computer stations.

Kate Long, Crescent Centre Manager, said: “This project was designed to meet the needs of our visiting learning disability customers, and I worked on it with Mirna Zestic, the Operational Lead from Optalis' Earley Day Service, to make it happen. This is also part of our 'Supporting Vulnerable Adults' project, funded via LifeLong Learning, Wokingham.'

Jane Hay, IT Tutor, said: “We have come so far with the learners in this course. This is the first time I have taught this group and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing their confidence improve and their abilities grow. They have all worked very hard."

Fiona Buchta, one of our Day Service customers, said: “I like the course very much, and I have learned a lot. I liked printing the photos of animals.”

Everyone who took part agreed that the best part of this workshop was learning how to download images and print them out. Customers went away from the course with individual portfolios of their work and certificates.