Writing has
always been a big part of my life. From a young age, I have enjoyed
writing because it helps me to express myself and share my thoughts
with others. Over the years, my writing has grown through blogging,
campaigning and volunteering, and I am now delighted to say that I have
achieved my NCTJ Level 3 Certificate in Foundation Journalism.
After
completing my creative writing course through Open Study College and appearing
on television through my campaigning, I really fancied giving journalism a go.
At first, I
wasn't sure the course was for me. However, anybody who knows me knows I don't
give up easily, so I decided to find out more. The more I learned about the
course, the more I started to believe that maybe I could do it. Looking back
now, I'm so glad I took that chance.
Ability
Today helps disabled people build skills and find
new opportunities. Through its Academy for Disabled Journalists, it
works with the NCTJ to provide accessible online
journalism training. The NCTJ, or National Council for the Training
of Journalists, is an organisation that provides journalism qualifications
and training. The course is designed as an introduction to
journalism and the skills needed to get started.
For the
first nine months, we had online classes every week, which I found
really interesting. Each week covered a different subject, such as
photography, making videos and other areas of journalism. As someone
who uses a communication device, I sometimes found it difficult to communicate
through Zoom because people couldn't always understand my
talker clearly. However, as the weeks went on, I became much
more comfortable. The tutor and the other students were very
understanding, which made a big difference to me.
There were
16 units altogether, although you didn't have to complete all 16 to pass
the course. The qualification worked on a credit system, with each
unit worth one, two or three credits. I needed to achieve 25 credits
to complete the qualification. I definitely had my
favourite units. I particularly enjoyed comment and review writing,
making videos and feature writing. My least favourite was the legal
unit, which I found much more difficult!
Two pieces
of work particularly stood out for me. I loved making a video about The
Advisory Group because it gave me the opportunity to showcase an organisation
that has helped and supported me over the years. I also loved writing
my colour piece about travelling to Florida because it gave me the chance to
express how I feel when I am there and at my happiest.
To be honest, I didn't realise just how
difficult I was going to find the course. I think I was a bit big-headed at the
beginning! Because I was already writing blogs, I thought the course would be
no problem, but I was so wrong.
The first
unit I completed was Gathering Information. Part of it involved interviewing
people and then writing an article, which I didn't have a problem with.
However, another part involved answering questions, and that was where I
struggled. I remember being excited and confident on the day my first marks
came through, but when I saw the word "fail", I was disappointed in
myself. But I kept trying.
The biggest
turning point came when I tackled the legal unit. At first, I tried to do it
myself. Even though I found it very stressful, I pushed through it, but unfortunately,
I failed. I had half expected that result, but afterwards I really felt like
giving up. I remember crying to my carer about it and wondering whether I could
continue.
Instead of
giving up, I contacted Ability Today and the NCTJ for help. That was when I
discovered the questionnaires.
Ability
Today had questionnaires available for some of the units to give students a
more accessible way of answering the questions. Some questions had multiple-choice answers
such as A, B, C or D, while others only needed a short sentence.
This was a
big help for me. As someone who uses a communication device, sometimes I know
exactly what I want to say in my head, but I find it difficult to express it
through my talker. I sometimes describe it as having two languages – one
language in my head and another through the programme on my communication
device – and they don't always work together. The questionnaires made it much
easier for me to show what I knew.
Once I
started using the questionnaires, I began passing more units and felt much more
comfortable with the course. I also stopped being so hard on myself. I kept
reminding myself that it wouldn't be the end of the world if I couldn't
complete the qualification. What mattered was that I gave it my best shot – and
that's exactly what I did.
Another tool
I used to support me during the course was ChatGPT, but I want to make one
thing very clear – it didn't do my work for me, no way! I used it to guide me
through questions I found difficult to understand and to help make my writing
clearer. Even though I am a good writer, sometimes those two languages I talked
about earlier – the language in my head and the language through my
communication device – don't quite work together. ChatGPT helped me organise
what I wanted to say more clearly, while the ideas and the work remained mine.
The last two
units I completed were Taking Images and the History of News. I knew that if I
passed them, I would have enough credits to complete the qualification, so I
was quite nervous when I submitted my work. Then came the difficult part –
waiting around six weeks for my results!
On the day
my results arrived, I was actually on holiday in Aberdeen. We were doing a tour
bus that day, so for once I wasn't constantly checking my emails. When we
stopped for lunch, I decided to have a look at my inbox – and there it was. I
had passed!
I was
delighted, pleased and incredibly proud, but I also couldn't quite believe it.
After all the challenges, the units I hadn't passed first time and the moments
when I had wondered whether I could finish the course, I had actually done it.
I had passed my journalism qualification – I was a journalist now!
It still
feels strange saying, “I am a journalist,” but at the same time I feel
incredibly proud. I am not just Jill with a disability. I am Jill, and I am a
journalist now.
Looking to
the future, I would like to work as a freelance journalist because I feel that
is the best path for me. I know building a career will take time, and I am a
great believer that we never know what is around the corner. Instead of
worrying about that, we can be excited to see what the future holds.
That's how I
feel now. I am excited to see where my journalism journey might take me. And
you never know – maybe one day I could even be reading the news
through my communication device!
Written by Jill
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