We dyslexics still have a long way to go

I have been an inclusion and dyslexia specialist since 1995. I don't think we have made any progress in terms of access to support at schools here in the UK over the last 15 years. I am not saying there are not some good schools following good practise out there supporting dyslexic and disabled kids. But they are far and few between. In colleges and universities again there are some that are following good practise but many more are not. As for support for dyslexics in the workplace, trying to get into the workplace and or in training for work the situation is even worse. Dyslexia is so far down the list of priorities here in Scotland you would think it didn't exist. I know I carried out my own research here in Fife and found training companies not providing any support to dyslexics, discovered young dyslexics moving from one training programme to another and never moving into employment, many dyslexics in long term unemployment. There are many reasons for this. We have no government stratagy to ensure dyslexics can access the support they need in education and employment where ever they are in the UK. We need a united dyslexic community to drive the dyslexic agenda instead of assisstive tech companies and those who make mega bucks from the dyslexia industry. We need a universally agreed definition for dyslexia. If we can't agree on a definition then why should schools, employers, training organisations, colleges and universities do anything for dyslexics at all. Having said all that we have to keep on fighting from the bottom up and top down. At Dyslexia Pathways we support dyslexics and enable them to overcome barriers but we also try to raise a positive ability focussed profile of dyslexia as the scottish parliament