happy in my dyslexic skin

Being dyslexic is like being punched on the nose by the invisible man, we can feel the effects we can see the results of the punch but we don't know where it came from. There has been so much research into the causes of dyslexia and so little progress. We still cannot agree on any definition for dyslexia, we have a myriad of theories but little solid evidence on why people are dyslexic . I think you are right Graeme start at the end and work back. A dyslexic student will come for support and I am presented with someone who has lived a lifetime as a dyslexic. We work together to develop stratagies that will enable them to become more effective and efficient learners. Moreover, we can then explore how dyslexia may have impacted their learning in school, on their confidence and self esteem and hopefuly enable them to become more comfortable and confident in their dyslexic skin.

how can we vote for inclusion?

So who do disabled people vote for in the next UK election? But whats the choice Labour? nope......the condems again?........nope............. the conservatives?............ nope the lib dems.........nope........ its all the same shit just a different colour. We as disabled people need to take our fight into parliament by becoming a political party. Just under eleven million people voted comservative in 2010 and there are over 11 million disabled people in the UK. We need a social justice party to fight for disabled people's right live in dignity, without fear and with inclusion.

the wright stuff

Wooo hooo had my say on The Wright stuff  taling about the legacy of the paralympics. Got in a lot about what ATOS and our governement are doing to disabled people.

political errelevance

The most irrelevant man in british politics Nick "the git" Glegg. Oh my hero NOT lol I feel better already pmsl.

Weird event?

Hmmmm weird three passenger jets just flown overhead in a v formation and quite low too. Never seen that before in my life. Time 13.39 pm Glenrothes Fife Scotland

suffer with dyslexia ME? never!!!!!

Read yet another article which talks about dyslexia sufferers. Drives me crazy every time I read stuff like this.

 

I certainly do not suffer with dyslexia but I do suffer with are non dyslexics and dyslexia specialists telling me I am disabled.

 

Without dyslexia I don't believe I would have been a good teacher, an entrepreneur, musician, creative, great problem solver and determined.

 

I am an individual who happens to be dyslexic.

barriers

Society places many barriers in front of all us dyslexic, disabled, non disabled, black, white etc. I should know as a dyslexic I have had to break through enough of them. But the hardest barriers to break through can be the ones we place in front of ourselves.

an insect in amber

Sometimes I feel like an insect in amber powerless to move forward just able to look backward. When I feel like this I become frustrated and angry with myself because I don't do standing still very well.

It's crazy really because if I look back honestly I can see that I have achieved so much and come so far. Yet somehow its never enough there is always something more I can do.

Everything I want to do just moves along at the speed of a growing gacier when I want things to move on at the speed of sound.

Always one more barrier to break through or one more hurdle to leap over. I have broken through so many, made a myriad of leaps but its never enough.

I am not sure if I will ever get to where I want to be but then again where is it that I want to get to?

Daft the kind of thoughts that go through your mind on a wet Saturday afternoon.

lol

mentoring

I have a meeting set up with the Scottish Mentoring Network about the mentoring idea for dyslexic kids I have. I have nearly finished writing a project proposal to set up a pilot project as well. I know there are a lot of people who would like to become mentors on this project. All I have to do now is sell the idea to Abertay Uni which I will endevour to do in September.

Fife Social Enterprise Event

Fife Policy Breakfast 23^rd August 2012
Ore Valley Business Centre, 93 Main Street, Lochgelly

Its always great to meet up and chat with other social entrepreneurs and hear how things are going for them in these challangeing financial times.

Here are just some of the things discussed at the event.

Fraser Kelly, CEO of Social Enterprise Scotland gave an overview of some of the key policy areas currently facing social enterprises.  These include:

·         Welfare reform

·         Self directed support

·         Employability

·         Local authority procurement

·         Capacity building / scalability

 

One thing which did raise very real concerns for me was this:

Local authority procurement

Cllr David Ross raised that Fife Council have a £50m funding gap for providing services and they are looking to social enterprise as a solution.  Various questions and comments ensued including:

·         Do Fife Council see social enterprise as a cheap option or do they see it as a cost effective alternative? If so, are they prepared to invest in social enterprise?

o   Fife Council confess that they are looking to social enterprise as a necessity but also feel it will create opportunities.

o   Fife council have recently cut some contracts with social enterprises, including My Bus shopping service.

·         Social enterprise still feels excluded from procurement opportunities as normally it cannot compete with bids from large private sector firms who have better resources and expertise in completing tender processes. 

o   Could councils include a ‘local supplier’ clause to weight in favour of local organisations bidding?

o   Community benefit clauses should be included.

o   Do social enterprises highlight their social benefits enough? Probably not.

·         Capacity to deliver local authority contracts is often a problem for social enterprises.

o   There are plenty social enterprises who can and do deliver, such as Recycle Fife.

o   Partnerships could be considered by local social enterprises in order to deliver a large contract.

o   Small private forms face the same capacity problems.

 

This may be the source of opportunities for social enterprises provided we can compete with the private sector. If social enterprise cannot we might be in trouble.

something new

Bass

I have not had much time for wiritng any new music apart from this which is the intro to part of a longer piece.

synopsis of and ordinary dyslexic.

 

I have been thinking about writing an auto biography for a long time. Indeed I have a synopsis to work from a couple times before but was never happy with it. Not really sure if it was every really for others to read but just for me to self reflect on my own struggles with dyslexia and learn from them. This is the latest synopsis and I am reasonably happy with it.

 

Synopsis for and autobiography of an ordinary dyslexic

As a child I loved school but I always seemed to struggle with writing, spelling and reading. However, I gained a love of books from my father. He used to read to me constantly from a very early age. My mum told me that when I was about 3 years old people would look at and watch me apparently reading out loud Noddy books word for word. But in reality I had listened to the stories so many times I had learned it word for word page by page.

At primary school I particularly enjoyed art, music, science and storytelling I don’t really remember having any problems with this. I do remember my hand writing and spelling never seemed any better at all. In those days there was no such thing as learning support but I had a fantastic teacher, Mrs Lyden, who was very patient with all in the class. So I don’t remember school ever being anything but a great place to be.

One day my mum had to keep me off school for the day because I had a hole in my trousers. I liked school so much that I sneaked out of the house and went off to school. That’s how much I enjoyed going to school lol.

When I was about eight years old I became interested in space, space exploration and in life on other planets. I dreamed of going into space a lot as a young kid. But I never got there like so many of us. I still remember watching in awe at the first moon landing. I was 11 years old and it had a real impact on me.

One night, about a week after watching the moon landing, I had a frightening nightmare.  A bright full moon was shining through my bedroom window. For some unknown reason something shot out from the moon smashed through my bedroom window and set my bedroom on fire. I remember struggling hard trying to climb out of bed but was paralysed and unable to move, scary stuff at the time.  Not sure if this is true for all dyslexics but I have a strong and vivid visual imagination.

My interest in space gave me an incentive to read science fiction, (sci fi), books and space fiction books, in spite struggling with my reading. I just thought it was normal to lose your place a lot when reading, to reread texts over and over and having to sound out words. Authors like HG Wells, John Wyndham Arthur C Clark just caught my imagination and I soaked up books like a sponge from around age nine.

One of the benefits of being dyslexic is I can read the books I enjoy over and over and still find something new in the text. I still enjoy reading Wells and Wyndham today.

To my dad's consternation, I still loved to read Thomas the Tank Engine books which were books for a 6 or 7 year old as well as the sci fi books. I loved the feel of the Thomas books, the artwork, the familiarity and they were easy to read. I must have worn those Thomas the Tank Engine books out at the local library. My father even tried to ban me from reading them but I couldn’t stop reading them.

It was the start of the falling apart or my relationship with my father. I did struggle at school no doubt, and the harder I worked the less progress I seemed to make and the less interested my dad became in my school work and in me. It seemed no matter how hard I tried, no matter how hard I worked my hand writing never got any better, my spelling didn't improve, I couldn’t do exam revision because information just wouldn’t stick. I guess my dad became disappointed in me. I know I was disappointed in myself.

My teachers were always telling me I was a bright kid in school reports but I just couldn’t show it in exams. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t pass any written exam, I just couldn’t write legibly enough and get my thoughts down on paper clearly enough. In the end I just stopped attending school at the age of fourteen. Learning in school became boring and a chore and I just didn’t enjoy being there.

Oh I would attend art and music lessons, I enjoyed Religious Education, (RE) too. Not because I was a religious person though. Thinking back now in RE we did a lot of debating of issues and philosophy. You don’t have to worry about bad handwriting and poor spelling doing any of these activities. Not surprisingly though the only exam I passed was Art everything else was a spectacular failure. Not that I really know this as didn’t even open my exam results, the letter went straight into the bin.

My relationship had just totally broken down with my dad by then as well. We just couldn’t communicate at all. So I started hanging out with other kids on the streets in the local gang. I got involved in gang fights, football hooliganism and drinking for a while. It was difficult to escape it on the estate where I lived. There was an anger and frustration inside of me, I felt disappointed in myself because I failed at school and angry with my dad and with school. The gang gave me an outlet for that. In the end, like many male dyslexics I got into trouble with the law.  

However, I started getting more involved in music, can’t remember how but I became a disc jockey at the local youth club for a couple of years. Around this time I had a craze for buying vinyl albums. I would go to Wembley Market every Sunday to look for new albums to buy. I would just go by look and feel of the cover art; if I liked that I bought it and eventually ended up with thousands of vinyl albums. So maybe it must have been because of my record collection lol.

It was around this time I fell in love for the first time as well. Music and being in love were much more fun the going to football and fighting so my gang phase became just that......a phase.

Being dyslexic didn’t stop me from doing manual work though and I did a few manual jobs for a few years.  However, sooner or later some manager or other would tell me I was a smart kid great with customers and would promote me into an office job. Where, without fail, I would crash and burn spectacularly. The whole dyslexia thing with organisation, form filling and memory proved to be an impossible barrier to overcome at that time.

When I was about 21 I fell in with a new bunch of guys, we became friends started a band together. It was the start of my long association with music on a serious basis. I don’t know or why we all got on though. They were all well educated with university degrees and in great jobs, there was I working in a builder’s merchant’s yard loading big lorries, driving fork lift trucks and lugging bags of cement around.

One of the guys father was a school caretaker and he let us use the swimming pool heating room to jam it. We nicknamed it, “The Hole”, because it was located underground and it was like a sauna. It was a great place where we could all hang out, jam as loud as we liked and generally do what we wanted. We thought we were King Crimson but in reality we were King Craptastic lol.  This will give you little taster of how it was. We would jam out Deep Purple’s, “Smoke on the Water” for hour after hour. Not the whole song though just the intro lol.

I think we were just a bunch of anachronistic hippies we followed the summer music festival scene with the Peace Convoy for a few years. We played small gigs here and there at places like Stonehenge, Glastonbury and Vines Cross and just being very chilled out. I believe the music enabled me to re programme my dyslexic brain and develop better a memory and ability to concentrate amonst other things.

 I could write a whole book about whole music period of my life, what I can remember of it that is. All I do know is I had a talent for music and playing bass guitar. I played and made friends with a lot of fantastic talented people and I just had fun.

In 1988 aged 30 or so I felt I needed a change and so went to college for one day a week. I had to start right from the beginning taking subjects such as maths, English and computing at a very basic level.

All the teachers were phenomenal, inspirational even. It was around this time I was introduced to computers and word processing software. Ok it wasn’t perfect; I still struggled with spelling and getting my ideas out, but for the first time could express myself on paper without worrying about my handwriting. Wooohoooo! to my own amazement I found I could learn and actually pass exams. I discovered something I thought I never would, a love of learning.

I met and made great friends with everyone on this course. We were a small group who had, for many different reasons, hadn’t done well at school. It was such a positive experience for me and it encouraged me to look for a full time course. Moreover, I passed every exam with flying colours achieving 98% in one English exam alone

The following year I was lucky enough to find funding that enabled me to take a full-time Access to Teaching course. Have to thank the Diocese of Southwark for this funding. Without it I would never have been able to take the course.

As part of the application process I had to go through an interview with the course teachers. There was a question about Shakespeare which flummoxed me for a minute as I had never read any of his work. So I started to talk about a sci fi book I was reading at the time and, to my amazement, was accepted on the course.

It was fantastic and included subjects such as English language and literature, maths, history, geography and psychology at “O” and “A” level.  I still struggled with exams but managed to pass because of my course work and so gained a place at university.

I met and made great friends with everyone on this course. We were a small group who had, for many different reasons, hadn’t done well at school. We would all help each other, come into college over the holidays and work together. It was such a positive learning and life experience for me.

It was while at university I discovered that I was dyslexic. It was like a light being switched on in a darkened room. It took a while to adjust and come to terms with but then off I went. I learned how to learn, I gained an understanding of why I failed at school. More to the point I discovered I had an academic potential.

 I studied for an Honours Degree in Geography I loved every minute of it. Whilst at university I did volunteer mentoring of kids with additional learning support needs at primary and secondary school with the East London Connection. It spurred me on to stay in education for another year and take a teaching qualification. It was a full times Post Graduate Certificate in Inclusive Education after finishing my degree.

In 1995 I began my teaching career working with young people with learning difficulties and disabilities and it was my passion.  I learned such a lot from the students I worked with. Teaching was so much fun and very challenging.

During this time I became involved in working with disaffected students. Many were bright individuals who had not achieved at school for a myriad of different reasons. Many didn’t have any qualifications that would enable them to take the course the courses they were interested in taking.  

As a result I designed an engineering course that concentrated on the doing, practical side engineering, taking an engine apart and reassembling it, wiring and building small electrical equipment and writing and recording music they had written themselves or music they listened too. By enabling students to do the practical it encouraged them to tackle their difficulties with reading and writing.

Of course over half the students on this course were later found to be dyslexic. As a result, and because of my own dyslexia, I began taking specialist dyslexia teacher training courses in 2008.  Eventually I became a specialist dyslexia teacher.

In 2000 I got new a new job as Co-ordinator for Dyslexia Support at a college, which I did for about 7 years. Whilst employed at the college I designed, developed and managed a new dyslexia project, “Breaking the Barriers of Dyslexia”,. It’s basic aim to provide access to free dyslexia screening and assessment for staff at the college. It was also designed to raise a more positive profile of dyslexia at the college.

At that time I was running open advice sessions for staff and I found many were concerned they may be dyslexic or were dyslexic but didn’t know what to do about it. Many felt if it were found out they were dyslexic it would adversely affect their teaching careers. I am very happy to be a dyslexic and believe dyslexia brings many positives such as great problem solving skills and ability to visualise the big picture of any issue etc.

I approached the Learning and Skills Council in London with a project proposal, “Breaking the Barriers of Dyslexia”, which they accepted and fully funded my project to the tune of fifty thousand pounds.

Our original target for the project was to provide free dyslexia assessments for eight members of staff. All the staff assessed were given training in dyslexia friendly work strategies and assistance in applying for Access to Work funding.

It was a very successful project, over 300 members of staff were screened and we provided dyslexia assessments to 23 staff including teachers.  However, at the end of project party the majority of staff assessed as being dyslexic still didn’t want managers to know they had been assessed. So it wasn’t a total success but it indicates how much of a hidden issue dyslexia can be.

I have a very positive outlook towards my dyslexia and one of the reasons I developed the project was enable others to see dyslexia in a positive way. But to so many of us being dyslexic is something to be ashamed of and something to be kept secret.

 I do not believe dyslexia is a disability, what does make it a disability to begin with is an education system that just does not meet our learning needs and enable us to access the learning that takes place in schools. It’s a society issue not and individual dyslexic one.

In 2007 I was made redundant from my post at the college. So I decided to move back to Scotland where I was born. My family had moved to London when I was still a baby and I had lived there all my life. It was just the right time for me to move back home.

It was time for a complete change and brought with it many new challenges for me. Unfortunately my employer kept all the assistive technology I had got through Access to Work. It was a big blow as I was reliant on the technology to help me with any reading and writing task. This basically disabled me as I was unable to complete application forms etc without access to computer. This is why I believe it is society that disables not being dyslexic.

 I began to seek work but found that dyslexia was way down the priority list within training organisations, businesses and even in local, regional and national government. I spoke with many dyslexic individuals who couldn’t find any support to enable them to overcome the barriers they faced because of their dyslexia. My own barrier was I couldn’t find access to any assistive technology anywhere in Job Centres, training providers and in other places there to assist people with gaining employment. .

However, I was lucky and successfully applied to a charity for funds that enabled me to buy a new lap top and assistive technology. My wife helped me a lot with this.

It was in response to this situation that I founded Dyslexia Pathways in 2008.  To begin with I used my own money to set up my company. We became incorporated as a social enterprise in 2009. I didn’t want Dyslexia Pathways to be a charity but I still wanted it to have social aims. As a result I set up Dyslexia Pathways as a Community Interest Company social enterprise. I am a great believer in the social model of disability and that was why Dyslexia Pathways became a social enterprise.

In 2009 I won two social entrepreneur awards from First Port and Scotland Unltd. This provided me with funding which enabled to set up the Dyslexia Pathways web site and win new business. Setting up the business was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life. Activities such writing a three year business plan, information leaflets, web mastering and financial projections just took such a long time to get right. It required developing a whole new skill set from leadership skills to marketing.

I have to thank my wife for her support with this though. She kept me focussed, worked on the financial sections of the business plan etc. I would never have got there without her support.

Since becoming a social enterprise Dyslexia Pathways has won contracts to supply dyslexia support services to two universities here in Scotland.  We have provided dyslexia support services to over 250 students and had over 500 requests for advice and guidance on dyslexia issues through out free phone and internet site.

At this time we currently have well over 450 members in our Facebook Cause. We are still a small organisation; but I want to take it further and do new things. For example I have designs for a new phone app and games and working to set up new mentoring scheme for dyslexic kids in school.

Dyslexia Pathways does some voluntary work for the Scottish government on a couple of parliamentary groups such as The Goodison Group and Preventative Spend Committee. There we try to raise a more positive profile of dyslexia whenever an opportunity arises.

We are all born with an innate desire and need to learn. When we send our dyslexic kids to school, they, like non - dyslexic kids want to learn, to read, to write and do all the other learning activities at school. However, because so many of our dyslexic kids either go un-assessed as being dyslexic or are known to be dyslexic but get little to no support they fail. Not because they are dyslexic but because they are not taught in ways they can access to learning effectively or with learning materials they can use. It is this that disables not dyslexia. Many dyslexics struggle in a non dyslexic world and it makes me wonder how non dyslexics would fare in a dyslexic world? It is this that turns so many dyslexic kids off of learning as it did to me.

The irony of this is that what is good teaching practise for dyslexic learners is good for all learners. Yet many dyslexic kids, like I did 40 years ago, still learn they are failures from an early age in school. This can impact on their self esteem and self confidence etc. It can lead to bullying, name calling etc. It can even affect relationships with parents and their future life opportunities.

For many dyslexics being dyslexic can seems like life sentence. Being dyslexic can put so many barriers in front of them from school, into everyday life, to training for work and in employment. These are not insurmountable barriers; it just takes a little support from a school or an employer to enable a dyslexic to overcome them.

Every dyslexic child who leaves school without any support for their dyslexia as school can blight that child for the rest of their lives. Many dyslexic boys end up in trouble with the police and end up in prison. Yet 20% to 35% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic. It’s a waste of the individual dyslexic’s potential and potential contribution to the economy.

I am hoping Dyslexia Pathways can become a positive force in changing this current status quo for many dyslexics.

Please feel free to visit my organisation’s web site:

http://www.dyslexiapathways.co.uk/index.php

We offer a number of dyslexia focussed services as well as operate a free advice and guidance line.

 

ATOS

Ok its fun time on my page:

What is ATOS an abbreviation for?

Mine is:

A Truckload Of Shitheads

What do you think ATOS is an abbreviation for?

House of commons

The house of commons is like a pub full of drunk men. They all talk bullshit and tell lies.

dispicable government

We have an underhanded, dispicable, government with no moral compass nor any compassion for disabled people and people from other vulnerable groups in our society. There is no excuse whatsoever for what they are doing. As for Atos surely they are in breach in the DDA and disabled people need to use the DDA to discredit Atos and show them for what they are. South Africa had Nelson Mandella, the suffraggettes had Emily Pankhurst we need a figurehead or a banner to rally to. But most of all we need to enter the political arena and fight these people who would wage war on our right to live with dignity.

worrying trends

It has become a very worrying trend to blame people for the position they are in and villify them for it. This comes from our politicians and fuelled by the media. The young are being villified for, as some see it, not wanting to work and leaving school as neets. The kids who do leave school with qualification are being told they are worthless.

Disabled people are being villified as being benefit scroungers and being forced into even further poverty. Its like disabed people are incapable of making any positive contribution society. Older people are being blamed for the pensions crisis for having the timerity to live longer.

We used to aspire to build a better society for future generations. I caanot see how we are doing this anymore. The test of any civilised country is how it cares for the vulnerable, disadvantaged and those in poverty. As far as I can see our politicians have just given up any pretense of doing this.

autobiograpgy

Today I am spending sometime writng an autobiograpcal

scourge of equality

I do not usually read newspapers at all now, mainly because most newspapers pander to the cult of celebrity or are just mouth pieces for an immoral and elitist government. However, I read an article in the Scotland on Sunday written by Gerald Warner entitled, “Scourge of Equality”.

 In this article he refers to equality as a pernicious myth, he derides the ethos of equality and makes reference to,” normal and abnormal people” as in normal people good abnormal people bad. He does not openly, or has the courage to say, who he believes the abnormal people are though.  

He refers to the cult of equality as a, “mental illness derived from the psychosis that is liberalism”.

It is not surprising to me to see such views being expressed. The conservative and liberal democratic war against disabled people has given heart to people who believe that striving for equality is wrong and somehow immoral. That working for a society based on equality and inclusion will drag the western world into an abyss.

 His views are abhorrent and disgusting to me. However what is frightening is the fact he was given a forum to vent his views in a newspaper with no reference to any facts. Neither do, “abnormal”, have any opportunity to respond.

Russell Brand sheesh lol

Russell Brand one man I'd like to see hanging on the front bumper and radiator of a big truck going down the motor way at 70mph for dear life. Nout but ricardo cranium lol

Space and the stars and meaning of being dyslexic

I have always been interested in space, space exploration and in life on other planets. I dreamed of becoming an astronaught as a young kid. But I never got there like so many of us. I still remember watching in awe at the first moon landing. I was 11 years old and it had a real impact on me.

I remember I had a dream the next night. I was asleep in my bed and I could see the moon shinning through my bedroom window. For some unknown reason something shot out from the moon and set my bedroom on fire. I remember I tried to get up and out of bed but was unable to move. Scary stuff lol.

My interest in space gave me an incentive to read sci fi books despite struggling with my reading because of my dyslexia. Authors like HG Wells, John Wyndham Aurther C Clark just caught my imagination and I soaked up books like a sponge from around age 9. But to my dad's conternation I still loved to read Thomas the Tank Engine books. I loved the feel of the books, the artwork, the familiarity and they were easy to read. I think I must have worn the Thomas the Tank Engine books out at the local library.

I think it was the start or the falling apart or my relationship with my father.I did struggle at school no doubt but the harder I worked the less interested my dad became in my school work and in me. It seemed no matter how hard I tried no matter how hard I worked my hand writing never got any better, my spelling didn't improve and I guess my dad became disappointed in me.

Perseid meteor shower

I was hoping to go to the top of Falkland hill tonight to watch the Perseid meteor shower but its been cloudy all day and still cloudy now. Tonight is the best night to see them with over 100 an hour falling though Earth's atmosphere.

failing our dyslexic kids

We are all born with an desire need to learn. When we send our dyslexic kids to school they, like non - dyslexic kids want to learn to read, to write and do all the other learning activities at school. However, because so many of our dyslexic kids either go unassessed as being dyslexic or are known to be dyslexic but get little to no support they fail. Not because they are dyslexic but because they are not taught in ways they can access to learning effectively or with learning materials they can use

The irony of this is that what is good for dyslexic learners is good for all learners. Dyslexic kids learn they are failures from an early age in school. This impacts on their self esteem and self confidence etc. It can lead to bullying, name calling etc. It can even affect relationships with parents.  All this impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of dyslexics.

dyslexic entrepreneurs

At Dyslexia Pathways we endevour to raise awarenss of the positives about dyslexia. That far from being a disability dyslexia gives us unique abilities. Did you know that 35% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic? However, there is little to no support for dyslexic entrepreneurs and potential dyslexic entrepreneurs in Scotland.This in essence means that many dyslexic entrepreneurs struggle and or fail due to this lack of support. This is a waste of their potential and to the scottish economy.

dyslexia and mental health

I am founder of Dyslexia Pathways in Fife. We are a social enterprise and our main objective is to enable people with dyslexia to unlock their potential and achieve according to their abilities within education, employment and training for employment. Did you know there was a link between dyslexia and mental health difficulties? I have worked with many dyslexic students at university who have experienced mental health difficulties because of the lack of dyslexia support recieved at school. Many dyslexics in employment also experience mental health difficulties because of a lack of support for their dyslexia. I have experienced this myself and know how devistating it can be from a personal prespective. Undiagnosed costs the UK economy one billion pounds a year but the costs to peoples mental wellbeing something I am concerend about.

dyslexic entreprenuers

Hi everyone hope you are all well:

I am dyslexic and I am also, so I have been told a, social entrepreneur but I am still not sure about that. I am not alone in being a dyslexic entrepreneur as studies show that over 30% entrepreneurs are dyslexic. 

I have a theory that the percentage of dyslexic social entrepreneurs is higher. 

We are creative problem solvers, holistic thinkers, insightful, intuitive, persistent, determined and ambitious which describes social entrepreneurs in general. We have to be to get things done. More importantly dyslexics have a strong sense of justice, maybe thats because so many of we dyslexics endure injustice all of our lives.

Dyslexia Pathways supporting dyslexic entrepreneurs

Many thanks for reading #PeaceLoveGroovyness

Steve McCue

the medicalisation of dyslexia

Dyslexia is not a condition it is a state of being. I am dyslexic therefore I am, and I will always be dyslexic and happy to be so. The worst thing that ever happened to dyslexics was the medicalisation of dyslexia. Now we are being told our brains are broken and do not function as they should. We are being smothered under a tidal wave of medibabble that only doctors understand. But the general gist is we dyslexics have a medical coondition which has to be treated. Richard Branson managed to function pretty well with his dyslexia as have many other dyslexics without any, "remediation". Many dyslexics find their own ways.

Dyslexics are not taught in ways they can learn and access learning taking place in the classroom. Teachers are not trained to teach dyslexics or any child with learning difference during teacher training. Qualified teachers go into classrooms totally unprepared to teach a significant number of kids they are there to teach. Many dyslexic kids learn from a very early age that they are stupid, that they cannot do the work in school, that they cannot learn and many just give up trying at school. The medical model of disability would say its because of your condition of dyslexia. I would say, and the social model of disability would say, its a failure of the education system. 

A hint for anyone with dyslexic kids doing homework

Because dyslexia can affect working / short term memory it is more productive to have regular breaks every 30 to 40 minutes when doing home work. So rather than letting your child work for two solid hours which will overtax their working memory. Encourage them to do two or three or even four shorter sessions over two hours with regular 5 to 10 minute breaks. The breaks also give them a chance to rechrarge their concentration batteries.

A fomous dyslexic on his dyslexia

A well know famous dyslexic Richard Branson:

 "At the age of eight I still couldn't read. I was soon being beaten once or twice a week for doing poor class work or confusing the date of the Battle of Hastings." – Richard Branson: Founder of a whole series of Virgin enterprises "Perhaps my early problems with dyslexia made me more intuitive: when someone sends me a written proposal, rather than dwelling on detailed facts and figures, I find that my imagination grasps and expands on what I read." - Richard Branson, from Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way, Times Business, 1998       

Being positive about dyslexia

Some of the positives about dysexia. We are

• Highly creativity
• Excellent lateral thinkers and problem solvers0
• Highlty visually and spatially aware
• Great communicators
• Determined

However, employers have to provide a dyslexia friendly working environment to enable dyslexics to use their positive attributes. It is not rocket science to become dysexia friendly and it will benefit your business, your dyslexic employees, your customers and service users.

2009 report on dyslexia from the Literacy Commission says it all

This excerpt from a 2009 report from the Literacy Commission says it all

There are thought to be about 80,000 Scottish children diagnosed with dyslexia, many of whom will leave school "functionally illiterate", meaning they have a reading age of less than nine-and-a-half. The 80.000 are just those lucky enough to have been assessed.  Its not that we cannot read we are not taught in ways that enable us to read more effectively.

Negative dyslexia....WHY?

Both as a dyslexic individual and a dyslexia specialist I have become increasingly angry about misinformation and negative dross written about dyslexia and dyslexics. I cannot believe that many many dyslexic children STILL do not get taught in schools in ways they can access learning. That many young dyslexics in training for work do not get any support for their dyslexia. That so many dyslexic males end up within our prisons. Not only is it a waste of their lives it is a waste of a potential positive resource to the scottish economy. Its a situation that needs to change and change NOW!