I came to Ability+ after having some personal issues in my last years of secondary school. At the time I was just trying to get through finishing my Leaving Certificate, with just the thought of all that matters is if I passed. I then did a PLC course in Inchicore College. At that time my mental health was not so good and because of this I was very low in terms of motivation. As I wasn’t really mixing with people | had limited knowledge on what to do with myself. I was also struggling with money management and my spending habits. I believe my first workshops were ‘Taking Control’ mental health workshop and also a MABs (Money and Budgeting Skills) group. I have received a lot of support through Ability, from mental health workshops to the Driver Theory group and many more. I was delighted when I passed my Theory Test which was booked and funded for me through the programme.

My guidance officer, had helped and listened to me a lot. She helped me start a cookery course back in 2020, which it fell short due to COVID. During Covid I did a number of different short courses online to keep busy and build up my CV. Mairead helped me know more about courses and what options were available to me. I then went on to do do a Level 6 Animation course in Pulse College. Shy to admit, I’’m still the shy introverted one even after all these years. I only attended one Social Night recently along with another participant that was introduced to me. It was very nice but perhaps it was my first time so catching names was confusing.

This year I was working in a job that was not compatible with my needs but miraculously Mairead had called and
suggested a job that was actually a lot closer to my home and my sibling’s school, making transport easier. Now I”m back at working retail – which I love!

I would say I have learnt quite a lot through Ability+. I feel I have learned lots of skills, but I do wish to learn more. Ability has made it a lot easier for me to talk about things as I have trouble expressing myself. For example if I have an issue with my pay or my work hours I am more confident asking about these things, compared to how I would have been in the past. I would definitely recommend Ability to others. It has honestly
aided me through many processes that I didn’t understand. The programme has walked me through many processes that I believed I would have never have found out about. If you have trouble communicating with your employer, they are only a message away for me to contact and are always happy to help.