Teacher with dyslexia shows kids how to code

'I wanted my students to consider what would happen when people with disabilities use their apps'

Lyndsey Balfe, teacher at Swords Community College.

The story of Lyndsey Balfe is an inspiring journey of a teacher who wouldn’t give up despite being diagnosed with dyslexia 10 years ago. Two of my children are dyslexic and I understand the difficulties it causes but also their unique way of problem-solving. It’s inspiring to hear stories like Lyndsey’s. What’s even more moving is her willingness to impart her knowledge and enthusiasm to her students in such a unique way by combining practical resources with technology.

As a teacher at Swords Community College, Lyndsey starts her fourth-year woodworking class by making sure each student has their iPad ready alongside their rules and scalpels.

“Anyone who has done a practical subject with me before will know that when we’re doing this, we take pictures of all the different steps,” instructs Lyndsey, who has each student upload their pictures into the Keynote app for iPad. “So your instructions are your recipe. Like when we were doing coding — what we’re doing is we’re breaking it down into steps, and we’re going to follow those steps.

Lyndsey Balfe highlights the importance of accessibility features to students in her fourth-year coding class as they design app prototypes.

“I find the mindset of coding a more thoughtful approach,” she says. “In breaking things down into steps, you’re thinking about the why. You’re thinking about the bigger picture and everything that’s involved in it. We want to develop those kinds of critical thinking skills with our students so that they’re equipped to tackle whatever challenges the future holds for them.”

Self-taught coder

Lyndsey knows firsthand what it’s like to learn to code because she taught herself only five years ago. She started with online tutorial videos but quickly grew frustrated.

“When I first started coding, it was very hard to find any kind of resources or to know where to go,” she says. That is until she discovered Apple’s Everyone Can Code.

“I just found when I started with Swift Playgrounds that it was easier. The activities were a lot more visual, and you’re figuring out puzzles. You also only get the number of instructions you need at the time — so it eventually gets bigger, but it never feels overwhelming.”

Around the same time, she became an Apple Distinguished Educator and joined the teaching staff at Swords, leading the school’s 1:1 iPad program, which provides an iPad for each student and faculty member.

Lyndsey taught herself to code and now passes on those techniques to her students using Apple’s Everyone Can Code curriculum.

Aoife Smith, Swords Community College’s principal, said: “Lyndsey has taken iPad, a suite of products like Keynote and Pages, and the principles of coding, and transformed the way we approach things. And that stems from the fact that she lives and loves her teaching and her students. And they love her back. But also she understands some of the difficulties that they may have, and she wants to help them through that.”

Challenges with disabilities

The concepts of coding are incorporated into all of the subjects Lyndsey Balfe teaches, including woodworking.

Lyndsey was diagnosed with dyslexia 10 years ago, and that perspective informs how she teaches. It is especially evident in her coding class, where she asks students to design an app prototype for someone living in a nursing home.

“I wanted them to consider what would happen when people with disabilities would use their apps,” says Lyndsey, who gave each app team a different scenario to consider. “One group had to experience their app as if they had arthritis in their fingers, and another had a visual impairment. And so we looked at the apps through different lenses.”

Opportunities for students

Student Marcel Czubak has taken a variety of different subjects with teacher Lyndsey Balfe, and credits her teaching style with helping him see new ways of solving problems.

At Swords Community College in Dublin, Ireland, every student and faculty member has an iPad. “My main hope is that they can find their passion — something they’re going to enjoy doing for the rest of their lives,” she says. “I love giving them as many different opportunities as I possibly can to find the thing that gives them that spark. I love teaching, so I hope they find something like that for themselves.”

Student Marcel Czubak, 15, credits Lyndsey, who he refers to using the Irish word for teacher, “oide,” as the catalyst for his own exploration into coding.

“I went online and I’ve done a few Swift Playgrounds, and I’ve gotten more into it,” he says. “But Oide Lyndsey gave me the strength to do it.”

Code week

In celebration of Europe Code Week, Apple has launched an Inclusive App Design challenge that can be found at apple.co/codeweek. Teachers can use the challenge to help students learn about inclusivity and accessibility via step‑by‑step instructions, supporting resources, and tips to tailor the activity for learners of all ages.