“The skills that I’ve learnt through Discover Digital workshops have made me feel more confident”

Ilyas is 18 years old and lives in London with his parents. Ilyas was diagnosed with autism at the age of 15. He also has a diagnosis of dyslexia.

Ilyas’ conditions mean that it may take him longer to understand certain things. Mum Swaleha, explains:, “I need to provide explanations in further detail and if I don’t use an example of a previous experience, it can be tricky for him to understand. Ilyas also forgets very quickly so he must be reminded about doing certain tasks such as showering, taking medication, brushing teeth, and eating.”

Now that Ilyas is older, he attends a social club a few days a week where he meets with friends to do activities. Swaleha said: “It’s great because Ilyas is becoming more independent and no longer relies on us to go out.”

“Raising Ilyas has taught me to have more patience in life. It’s been quite a challenge, but I’ve become more understanding.”

Digital Skills training

Ilyas was granted an iPad by Family Fund to support with his home schooling. Family Fund also arranged for Ilyas and his family to receive some training on how to use the iPad.

Swaleha said: “We had a one-to one session with an expert who provided various tips. The expert who conducted the training was really nice. They allowed us to email follow up questions in case Ilyas forgot any of the processes.

Ilyas told us: “The tips I received helped me to overcome the challenge of emailing my schoolwork to my tutor in the wrong format. I never understood how to select the correct format. The training explained it well and I now know how to successfully send the emails.”

The initial training session was useful for the family, and from then on Ilyas attended other Discover Digital workshops. Ilyas said: “I learnt a series of different skills including developing apps, editing videos, and making music.”

“The workshops are great. I’ve learnt a lot from them, and I still use some of the skills today. For example, I use the skills I learnt at the card creating workshop to design birthday cards.”

“At my social club, we were tasked with creating a film and presentation for a project and I was able to do that because of the Discover Digital training I received from Family Fund.”

“The skills that I’ve learnt have made me feel more confident. I would 100% recommend the training to a friend.”