Tayla at the launch of Joe and Julie Stop Smoking

Tayla’s story

Favourite Beyond Words book: All of them!

Tayla first became involved with Beyond Words in May 2023, as part of our co-trainer programme.

She loves to read our picture books with her friends, and thinks they are very useful to help people understand more about the world around them.

The books - I like the pictures. You think in your head, then you think about the pictures. You’re using your brain more. You’re like: “Oh, this is what this person is thinking”. That’s why I like these books, because they’re very helpful. I feel confident reading them.

Sometimes I find life a bit stressful. But when I read a book, it cheers me up. When I’m down, I just read and it makes me happy, and I don’t think about the negatives any more.
— Tayla

Our programme, which takes place at City Lit college in London, brings together people with learning disabilities and people who want to learn how to run a picture-based Book Club. The co-trainers build their confidence by reading picture stories with each other, then invite people from other organisations in to show them how it's done.