Relearning to Read After a Brain Haemorrhage

Reading had always been central to Bernadette's life, which made the effects of her brain haemorrhage especially hard to accept. She suspects she may have been dyslexic beforehand, but nothing prepared her for what followed.

"After the brain haemorrhage, I couldn't read... the words moved about on the page. I couldn't read properly. So it was very, very challenging."

With a Kindle set to its largest font, she slowly rebuilt her skills. However, reading for pleasure is very different from the demands of university study, where lectures and set texts ask students to process and record information at the same time.

"My reading skills sort of came back, but not enough so that I could listen to what was going on and be able to make notes, and also read and make notes."

Following the Text and Keeping the Flow

Bernadette's solution was to share the workload between two tools, so she no longer had to split her attention three ways.

"I can share the document that's been read for me via OrbitNote with Genio Notes, and I can set the recording going... It will record straight from the computer, so it doesn't pick up any of the noise around... and I can follow the text on OrbitNote. That's been completely invaluable."

This setup also means she isn't limited to quiet spaces when she studies. The more significant change, though, came in how she deals with the points that matter most. For Bernadette, stopping to write something down used to mean losing the thread entirely.

"Before, if I thought a point was important, I would start writing it... and then when you stop the reading, I think, 'Hold on, now I've written this. Now what was that again?' Whereas with Genio Notes, I can just press Important... put a quick note and keep the flow going."

Capturing an idea no longer comes at the cost of whatever follows it, and her flagged points remain in the recording to return to later.

Confidence Through to Graduation

For Bernadette, the difference went beyond practical study support. It changed how she felt about her ability to keep up.

"I use Genio Notes every single day. And I mean every single day... Saturdays and Sundays. It was one of the things, that and OrbitNote, that really made a massive difference to my time at university and also to my confidence level."

That confidence carried through to her results. This year Bernadette graduated with a BA in Philosophy and a 2:1, and was awarded the Alex Sherman Prize for the most commendations, which is given to one philosophy student.

"I don't think I could have got that without Genio Notes."

For someone who, a few years earlier, couldn't follow the words on a page, it marks a significant return to the study she has always loved.

Watch the video to hear more about Bernadette's experience with Genio Notes: