Bit of a change from my usual blogs here

 

A phone app I designed and had up and running for a while

Good morning from me here is Glenrothes.

Time for a wee bit of nostalgia fun from 1970's. When I was a kid I worked as a milk boy for our local Unigate Milk man. I had to get up really early in the morning to walk the the local Unigate Dairy depot in Childs Hill.

Here is one of a series of comical TV adverts for Unigate Dairy.

Did you have a job as a kid?

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me, Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

Some thoughts on dyslexia, why not share your thoughts?

 

Hi blog readers hope you are well

Some thing about dyslexia for us all to think about

Right now we have individual parents of dyslexic kids fighting our education system one at a time. Sometimes they win little victories and get support for their dyslexic kids. Most of the time they face long battles and get nowhere.

We as dyslexic adults need to get together to build a social movement where we can work together. Work together to bring positive changes to the current education system that up to now is still failing too many of us and our children.

Right now many of us are fighting for positive change from the bottom upwards. We have to influence those who are responsible for developing education policy. This can only be done if we work together and take this to those who make policy.

There needs to be political will to make the changes to our education system that will enable our dyslexic kids to succeed is school. Right now there is no political will to do this. Only by working together can we influence those who run our education system.

We have to make a much more positive case for supporting our dyslexic kids. We have to move away from an old outdated medical model of dyslexia that basically tells us our brains do not work correctly. That somehow we are not normal. That we are broken in some way. What does this say to potential employers about dyslexics? What does this say to our dyslexic kids?

I am not saying dyslexics do not need support at school. What I am saying is we need teachers in every classroom being trained to teach to meet the diversity of learning needs in the class room. To enable teachers to do their job of teaching our dyslexic kids together with their non dyslexic peers in a classroom.

Every day I visit Facebook I read real life stories about dyslexic kids and parents battles to get what is a human right to a good education. Stories about dyslexic kids not wanting to go to school. About parents seeing their children crying and frustration and fear about going to school. This is just not good enough at all.

I believe it is society that disables dyslexics and that's why I promote and support the social model of dyslexia. I am not saying it's a perfect model but it places the responsibility for the failure of our education to meet the learning needs of dyslexic kids  where it belongs. Not on the shoulders of dyslexic kids and parents. But squarely on the shoulders of those who shape our education system and politicians who are responsible for developing and running an education system that fails so many of us.

Dyslexics can and do succeed but many do so in spite of their education not because of it.

#dyslexia is a difference that reflects #diveristy. We need to harness and unleash that potential not remediate or stifle it.

What do we need to do do this?

 
Remember neuro diversity is as important as biodiversity......
 
#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

PS:

Here are links to our websites and social media:

 

https://www.facebook.com/Unique-Dyslexic-Get-Creative-1431413910440768/?sk=app_415675701824636

https://www.facebook.com/groups/unique.dyslexic/ our facebook group page

https://www.facebook.com/stephen.mccue.5 my page

https://www.facebook.com/Unique-Dyslexic-Get-Creative-1431413910440768/ 

kinda like our Unique Dyslexic campaign

come business page

http://www.dyslexiapathways.com/ company web page

 

http://sdyslexia.blogspot.co.uk/ dyslexia blog page

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVKyJJgQWkYUa93-GdtX3fg you tube channel

https://twitter.com/DyslexicEye Twitter

https://uk.pinterest.com/raelthing/ Pinterest

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=AAIAAAdBzacBPEi2aZeiCBELxGTTQBM_mq3HKU4&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile Linked in

https://soundcloud.com/groups/dyslexia-musicians-group Soundcloud Page

News from my organisation Dyslexia Pathways CIC

 

A wee poem from me

Hello hello hello all, hope you are all ok out there,

Here is the news:

Well, that is another successful academic year over with. I founded Dyslexia Pathways CIC way back in 2008 by the way. So we are in out 16th year of business.

Had a really busy year, my appointments are back to pre COVID levels which is cool. COVID was a tough period financially for myself and my social enterprise Dyslexia Pathways CIC.

We won another Prestige award for our dyslexia work this academic year. That's another award certificate going up on our wall.

Before COVID I had designed three new dyslexia / neuro diverse training course which I am going to roll out over the next few months

On the downside:

My trusty old lap top is on its way out. Think I bought it maybe 10 years ago. Needless to say it is not working as well as it once did. 

So I need to buy a new lap top for my work supporting dyslexic and neuro diverse university students, using my assistive tech, podcasting, blogging, making and editing photos and movies and running training sessions etc. Have been searching rough costs £1300 to £1500 OUCH. My budget is half that, any ideas any one? I need a 17" screen

Finally, lol at 66 years old I am now collecting my state pension lol. I am not retiring by the way. It just feels weird being an old codger lol.

Thanks for taking the time to read my Unique Dyslexic Blog, please leave us a like, give my blog a share or maybe leave a comment. 

So its #PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

Lack of access to free / affordable neuro diversity assessment

 

Me in the studio recording my Unique Dyslexic Eye Show

Hello all hope you are all doing well out there:

Still no free or affordable access to any neuro diversity assessment. Unless you pay to go private for the cost of around £350. This is appalling. I did manage to secure £50.000 government funding for a successful a free to access dyslexic assessment and training project 25 years ago. But when I left the project stopped to found my social enterprise Dyslexia Pathways Community Interest Company the project stopped.

What is your experience of accessing any assessment for dyslexia etc.

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue.

Dyslexia and isolation

Unique Dyslexic Eye podcasting

Welcome to yet another Unique Dyslexia Eye blog

I was working with one of my dyslexic uni students a while back. It was not a very easy session for him or myself. He is struggling with his course work and his work load had gotten on top of him quite a lot. He is obviously a very bright student and knows his subject very well but his issues with confidence and motivation were causing him great anxiety. All he knew was he had this big ball of stuff in his head that he knew this work needed to be done and when it had to be completed by but the ball was impenetrable to him.  

So we sat down together, worked out what needed to be done and by when. We then started to break each assignment down into its constituent parts and put together timelines to plot out what needed to be done and set some goals for the next couple of weeks. We opened out this ball of stuff in his head and mapped out different routes to enable him to get to his destination of assignments completed.

Of course he still has to get on with his work and his issues with motivation will still be there but because we had spent a little time doing this mapping out exercise he now felt he could tackle his work. He said because he had kept everything in his head the problems with his work just appeared so huge and undo-able. I gave him my e-mail and said he could contact me to discuss his progress if he felt he wanted to.

During this session he told me he had never really talked to anyone about being dyslexic not his parents or his friends. He told me he didn't understand his dyslexia or what his dyslexia report said about him. He basically felt quite alone with his struggles with his dyslexia. In fact this was the first time he had discussed anything to do with dyslexia with anyone else. I wonder how many other dyslexics there experience these same issues.

So much time, some much money spent on so much research, and still so little is understood about dyslexia by so many.....including the so called experts sigh

Thanks for taking the time to read my dyslexia blog. 

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

We are all Dyslexic warriors, its not only about famous or rich dyslexics

 

Dyslexic warriors: its not only about famous or rich dyslexics

one of our fab neuro diverse positive t shirts 

Hi blog readers hope you are all feeling #fab

I was sent this message through my linked in the other day. Its a little story of #dyslexic success against the odds.

We tend to see stories of famous or rich dyslexics which is cool. But I think every dyslexic's stories is important and should be given a forum for people to read about. 

I asked if it would be ok to share this in one of my blogs, she agreed and here is it:

"Good afternoon Stephen,

I suffer with dyslexia and I found it hard growing up.

In primary school  both my family and the school said that i was slow and lazy that was why I couldn't read faster than others or spelt simple words incorrect.

Through out high school my teachers turned a blind I to my asks of help. I would write in the margins of by book  that I was struggling with reading and spelling.

I was prodicted E's but I put in so much effort and extra time to complete my GCSE's i came out with C's.

It wasn't till Sixth form that I got some help, the teachers where amazing and helped me with out undermining me. I finally felt I was worth it and the effort I put in to tasks wasn't in vain.

I am happy to say that I am now a business admin. Doing an apprenticeship where I am not struggling and I openly ask for help.

I have wrote this message to say thank you.
I say thank you for being brave and making people aware of dyslexia.

I hope I can be as brave as you.

Thank you again

Kindest  regards

Charlotte"

If anyone else wants to share their dyslexia journey in my blog, anonymously or not, just email it to me as steve_mccue@hotmail.com. 

You can add photos but sent a little description of the photo .

I just think Charlotte had a great positive story to share and thank he for letting me share it here.

I kept the brave bit not because I think I am brave but because I thought she herself was being brave because it couldn't have been easy to share her story with me let alone let me share it in my blog.

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

Dyslexia in Education

 

Photo from one of our Unique Dyslexic Get Creative Workshops

Hello to all, thanks for taking time to read my latest #UniqueDyslexic blogs

Dyslexia in Education

In relation to teaching dyslexic children: 74% of teachers did not feel satisfied that their initial teacher training provided them with the skills they need to identify and teach children with dyslexia. Dyslexia Action 2012

In an independent YouGov survey, commissioned by Dyslexia Action (2012) almost two-thirds of parents felt dyslexia was not recognized across the system.

Pupils with SEN, (Special Educational Needs) including dyslexia without statements are around ten times more likely to receive a permanent exclusion than pupils with no SEN; compared to pupils with a statement of SEN who are around six times more likely to receive a permanent exclusion.

One of the ways society disables dyslexics is education. From day one at school the vast majority of dyslexic kids are failed.

Consequences of unassessed dyslexia:

Further consequences of unassessed dyslexia. Research by Jack Rack from the Dyslexia institute showed that dyslexia is three to four times more prevalent in the prison population than amongst the general population. Up to 50% or people in our prisons are dyslexic costing society £35,000 a year. It is thought unassessed dyslexia costs the UK one billion pounds a year.

The Dyslexia Behind Bars project showed 53% of (2,029) prisoners at Chelmsford during the project were diagnosed as having dyslexia, compared to 10% of the UK population (data: British Dyslexia Association). Note I cant find the figure but each person in prison costs society around £35.000 a year to keep there.

Focus Prisoner Education said, “It costs £65,000 to imprison a person in this country once police, court costs and all the other steps are taken into account. After that it costs a further £40,000 for each year they spend incarcerated”.

Research by the Westminster Achievability Commission 2017

WAC, for Dyslexia and Neurodivergance showed some of the barriers to employment dyslexics and people from other neurodivergant communities face.

“Many neuro divergent people, this includes dyslexics, are ready and willing to work but find themselves faced with insurmountable barriers, WAC 2017.

A few of the key findings from the report:

·       There is a lack of awareness of what we can do

·       Disclosure can often lead to bullying and discrimination in the work place

·       Government measures including Access to Work are inadequate

·       The Equalities Act is being implemented inadequately

Dyslexics can and do succeed is all areas of society. For example, 35% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic.

Over 90% of successful dyslexics say they were successful because they were dyslexic.

Dyslexics tend to be lateral thinkers, have strong emotional intelligence and empathy, are big picture thinkers, can see the big picture and can think three dimensionally.

We were the first dyslexia focussed social enterprise in the world. Dyslexia Pathways CIC also has a social model of dyslexia focus and believe that our social enterprise and social model of dyslexia vision offers dyslexics a more positive, empowering new way forward.

We must change how we think and talk about dyslexia or risk repeating the mistakes that are still happening.

ta for reading

please share, leave a like or subscribe, help my blog grow

#peacelovegroovyness from me

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue founder of Dyslexia Pathways CIC and Unique Dyslexic Eye