Dyslexia, Things stay the same?
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE , Dyslexic,received an Honorary Doctorate in 2017 for her work in space science and dedication to science communication and education. Presenter of the Sky at Night on the BBC.
Hi everyone, hope you are all well,
Taken from a recent British Dyslexia Associated artice,
"A stark picture is emerging from new FOI data on dyslexia support in England. Fewer than half of local authorities employ specialists to assess dyslexia, and around a third offer no guidance at all to schools. Of the 151 authorities contacted, 82% responded, yet fewer than 10% could answer all questions.
The impact on pupils is significant. In 2025, only 21% of pupils with a Specific Learning Difficulty met expected standards at Key Stage 2, compared with 74% of pupils with no SEN. At GCSE, just one in five achieved Grade 5 in English and Maths, and only 39.5% reached Grade 4, compared with 72.3 per cent of pupils without SEN".
Way back in 2005 when I was running the dyslexia department in a college in London. I run a number of open dyslexia surgeries for students and staff wanting to find out more about dyslexia. As it turned out a large number of staff took up the offer and came to the surgeries.
Some just want some advice on ways to support their dyslexic student's more effectively. But others came because they either knew they were dyslexic or suspected they were dyslexic.
All had some concerns that being dyslexic would hinder their career prospects and nearly all had not disclosed they were dyslexic.
As a result of this I put together a proposal for a new dyslexia focused project called Breaking down the barriers of dyslexia.
The basic idea was to provide free dyslexia screening and assessment to staff at the college as well as provide training in dyslexia friendly work strategies.
I managed to get a fifty thousand poundgrant from the Learning and Skills Council for the project. The project itself went very well. We had a target to provide 8 free dyslexia assessments and in the end we provided 23.
However, at the end of the project despite how well it went 99% of those assessed still did not want their bosses to know they were dyslexic. So here we are in 2026 and things do not appear to have changed much.
A few years back I was talking with a degree student who I had been providing dyslexia support over the last semester. A very bright student as well. He was expressing an interest in becoming a teacher but felt that it was not possible for him to become a teacher because of his dyslexia.
He was expressing his concerns about telling any prospective employers about his dyslexia. That if he did it would adversely affect his job and career prospects. He would be a great teacher as well in my opinion
There is far too much focus on dyslexia as a negative condition that adversely impacts on our abilities to succeed academically and in the work place. Let’s face it what employer wants to take on a dyslexic who can't spell, has poor memory, a brain that does not work properly, who can't read well etc.
This is a medical model definition of dyslexia. There is something wrong with dyslexics, our brains are broken in some way. Dyslexia is about defecit, disorder and discrepancy. It saw it is we dyslexics who are the problem. In my view it is our education system that is tied to this definition that is the issue here.
This is what the average person in the street believes dyslexia to be. Very few mention any of the positives of dyslexia at all. So it is not surprising many dyslexics keep it a secret, including teachers.
The social model of dyslexia tells us, " The social model of dyslexia posits that individuals are disabled not by their neurological differences, but by environmental barriers, rigid educational systems, and societal attitudes that fail to accommodate them. It shifts the focus from fixing a personal deficit to removing societal obstacles, advocating for inclusion and reasonable adjustments. This tells us it is our dyslexia unfriendly society that fails us." It is our dyslexia unfriendly education system tha fails us
For every positive single article on dyslexia there and 20 or more negative ones. If we are ever to change people's attitudes and perceptions about dyslexia we need dyslexic teachers in classroom who are positive about being dyslexic and can act as role models and mentors to dyslexic children.
#PeaceLoveGrooveyness from me
Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue
