Many dyslexic children and pupils still go through school with their dyslexia unassessed and or with no dyslexia support. What is needed is teachers who are also dyslexic to act as mentors and role models or dyslexic students. Unfortunately, from one study / project I carried out, I know that many dyslexic teachers fear letting managers and employers know they are dyslexic. Mainly becasue they concerns it would affect their career and job prospects and from my experience it does. I am someone who is very pround and happy to be dyslexic and shout it out from the rooftops that I believe being dyslexic is a very positive thing that it does impact on your career and on how management look at you. There are to many negatives attached to dyslexia and not enpugh focus of the positives. Many of those negatives have been put their dyslexia specialists who continually focus and find new negatives to attach to dyslexics. If dyslexic teachers have concerns about, "being found out", as being dyslexic then what does that say to dyslexic students?

Milestones

Achieved a few milestones this week. Month with most dyslexic students seen, month with most dyslexia appointments, week with most dyslexia appointments and day wiith most dyslexia appointments and month with most income. Phew it was hard work but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Busy busy week

Phew having a very busy week this week. I have 20 dyslexic students to see with including 8 new ones. 12 seen so far only 8 more to go. They are on a mix of different degree course post grad as well as under grad. Today alone I worked with a third year psychology student, second year nursing student a post grad engineering student and first year  student on a computer programmer degree. I have to say I admire all the students I work with for the struggles and battles and barriers they have fought and had to overcome to get and succeed at university. I learn so much from each of the students I work with and get so much satisfaction from working with them.

Social enterprise Ceilidh

On the 17th and 18th of November I attended the 7th Social Enterprise Conference and Ceilidh. The event went very well – 110 attendees (82 from social enterprises) - combining a good mix of older and newer faces. Its was a great opportunity to meet up with other social entrepreneurs and catch up on everyone's progress. Highlight of the day was the Dragon's Den event where there were six contestants all fighting for the big £5k prize. Winners were Strange Theatre (Dragons’ Den: £5k) and Stranraer Millennium Centre (Audience £1,400). Everyone of the contestants performed well under the pressure of the dragons. I know from personal experience what a challange it is to present your ideas to the dragons in front of an audience. More importantly, there seemed to be a great deal of consensus about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Scotland’s grassroots social enterprise community.

Another track from me from my next album Ambient Topographies

http://soundcloud.com/raelthing/lazy-from-ambient-topographies

self reflective learning

I am a vocal proponant of reflective learning as a tool for enableing self development, as a means for thinking about ourselves in an open and honest way, as a way of problem solving and overcoming the barriers we face within ourselves as well as in society, at work or in a learning environment. I have successfully utilised reflective learning with a great many dyslexic and disabled students in my professional career as a dyslexia and inclusive education specialist working in colleges, univeristies and in my own organisation Dyslexia Pathways CiC.

the right of disabled people to live with dignity

Our beloved, and unelected, condem governemt has been waging a war against disabled people ever since it came to power. Disability organisations have been trying to fight this despicable attack on the dignity of disabled people and their right to live in an equal society. We, disability organisations, are trying to fight a government propaganda campaign suupported by most of the press AND the BBC with good intentions and a fly swotter. There has been a deluge of negative press and BBC coverage all targeted to paint disabled people as nothing better that benefit scroungers who can make no positive contribution to society. Unless we become much more vocal and politically active disabled people's rights and dignity will be steam rollered back to the stone age. With one difference. Back then it was survival of the fittest now its survival of the richest.

A good day

I had a very good day providing dyslexia support to students at university today. One student showed how invaluable good dyslexia support at school can be in later life. He has many great stratagies that have enabled him to succeed on his course. He is laid back calm and reflective. I only wish he were the rule rather than the exception. So after 5 sessions with me he no longer needs support on a weekly basis. Another student was talking to me the week before about his young son and how he was unable to spell or write his name. I suggested he use different coloured platasine to make three dimensional letters with him and to enable his son to feel as well as see the shape of the letters. The student, and proud father, showed me a picture of his son's work today and now his son knows how to spell and write his name. His dad smile when he showed me, fantastic.

Certainty

If there is one certainty about dyslexia, and I think it is the only certainty, is that every individuals dyslexia is unique to them. There are no one size fits all solutions.

A new music composition by myself: Rune

http://soundcloud.com/raelthing/run-new-version

Please any dyslexic musicians feel free to post you music on my dyslexia musicians group on scoundcloud.

Suffer with dyslexia? not me!

I do not suffer with dyslexia I suffer with a non dyslexic world that does nto educate us in ways we can access learning. I suffer with dyslexia experts who continually focus on dyslexia as a problem for the dyslexic and focusses on all the things we do not do well. We, as dyslexics, are like everyone else. We are good at some things and not so good at others. Too much focus on the things we are not so good at and not enough on what we can do well.