 The first time I admitted I had a problem I had a good cry.
I said it very quickly - "yes I have got a problem with my reading" - because I didn't want anyone to know about it.
I was so embarrassed. It takes a hell of a lot of courage. Once you've admitted that you've got a problem it's fantastic - it's like a whole new world opens up to you - and you realise you're not the only person in the world who has a problem with reading. "Shout it Out" started here in Devonport. I was having lessons at the time because of my reading difficulties.  | | The play has travelled the country |
My adult education tutor said to me: "Why don't you go home and write down all the things you can't do if you can't read". She told me not to worry about the spelling. We would work on that together later. Well I could definitely do that. That was like magic to me because I didn't feel embarrassed anymore. Before, I would rip my writing up so no-one could see it because I was so embarrassed. For my homework I was writing every day about my life - all my feelings and all the situations I got into because of my difficulty reading. For instance, I had to ask my son to read my letters, or ask him how to spell this or how to spell that. And I felt guilty because I couldn't help him with his homework.
 | | Reading opens up a whole new world |
What I didn't know is that my tutor had kept all my writing, and she showed it to a woman down at the Theatre Royal - Dee Evans. She suggested I put my writing into a play. I'd never been to a theatre in my life and I'm certainly no actress. But she said I could do it and she talked me into it. I've now taken the play into different communities, into young offenders institutions, prisons, and into the Millennium Dome. It's such a pleasure to do - especially if someone comes up to you and says "I saw your play and I went out to get some help." I've also given talks to the United Nations in West Africa, in Bangkok and to another UN conference in Japan - that was a fantastic experience. All the frustration and the anger and the fear - it doesn't go completely - but once you've admitted to somebody that you've got a problem a whole new world opens up to you. Reading a book for the first time - it was like magic. I wanted to shout it out to the whole world - it's a fantastic feeling. Reading is so fantastic and so important.
More information
If you want more information on "Shout it Out", or you think you could help with the project, please contact Hamoaze House, Mount Wise, Plymouth, PL1 4LZ. | 
