not trying to get up anyones nose with this blog just giving food for thought

Hi blog reader out there. I hope you are all well. I was going to keep away from my computer today altogether. But then again I am here blogging away. Its like there is something inside of me that will not let me stop lol. Eeeep I can hear you all shout out now. PLEASE STOP STEVE AND GIVE US A REST FROM YOUR INANE DRIVEL! LOL.

Read an interesting blog yesterday called, "Dyslexia and Me" great stuff. Which started me thinking about dyslexia again, about a dyslexic community and about the way in which society and ourselves view dyslexia and being dyslexic. Now there is a surprise pmsl.

Its important that we ordinary dyslexics have a forum to discuss dyslexia and what being dyslexic means etc. We all have a lot to learn from each other. But the very nature of dyslexia means that many of us will hardly ever meet another dyslexic in the street let alone talk about being dyslexic with another dyslexic. Blogging also is giving us an embryo for a coherent dyslexic community which is something I believe we need. But not a community driven my specialists and experts in dyslexia but by the ordinary dyslexic in the street. 

We need a dyslexic community with a dyslexic voice to represent and fight for the things we need to change and thrive. Things such as access to a good accessible and inclusive education.  Our education systems still fails far to many dyslexic kids and this has to change.

This is one thing we dyslexics of today must seek to fight for and change for future generations of dyslexic kids.

I am going to say something here which may get up a lot of people's noses here. We need to move away from the more traditional models of disability / dyslexia that have, in my view, shackled us to a negative profile of dyslexia. These being the medical model off disability / dyslexia and the charity model.

Lets look at the charity / tragedy model of disability  The Tragedy/Charity Model depicts disabled people as victims of circumstance, deserving of pity.

The Tragedy/Charity Model is condemned by its critics as dis-enabling, and the cause of much discrimination. The biggest issue that  disabled have, is that the non-disabled community, are only comfortable when dyslexic / disabled people are viewed as icons of pity." Because disabled people are seen as tragic victims, it follows that they need care, are not capable of looking after themselves or managing their own affairs, and need charity in order to survive.

Now please do not misunderstand me here I am not criticising and charity here nor anyone who works for a charity etc. Just the perceptions in gives to people out there in all communities. 

Then there is the medical model of dyslexia / disability which basically looks at us a broken in some way. That we need to be cured of our disability / dyslexia.

This focuses on impairment – that there is something “wrong” with the disabled ' dyslexic individual. There is a focus on ways in which disabled and dyslexic people deviate from the norm, and tries to narrow that gap.

An assumption is made that there is the normal that this normal is automatically desirable and to be aspired to. This then automatically leads to a perception that disabled / dyslexic people are abnormal, that we deviate from the normal. The “problem” lies with the individual and what they can or can’t do.

I think you can see both these models do not paint a very positive profile of disability or dyslexia or any other neuro difference for that matter. I, for one, do not see myself fitting in with either of these models.

Now lets move on to the social model of disability / dyslexia. This model says that it is society that disables dyslexic and disabled people. Now for we as dyslexics society disables many of us from day one in school. Where we are taught in ways that do not enable we dyslexics to learn as effectively, using learning materials that are not dyslexia friendly  or accessible by teachers who, in the main are not trained to teach us in an inclusive learning environment.

In essence we go to school that has been designed by non dyslexics, that is delivered, in the main, by non dyslexics for non dyslexic kids. This is why school still fails so many dyslexic kids.

This in itself is a crazy situation especially when you consider that over 50% of young people in our prisons are dyslexic or struggle with poor literacy. Its even more crazy when you consider that around 35% on all entrepreneurs are dyslexic and most of those entrepreneurs have become successful in spite of their education not because of it.

So what do many dyslexic kids leave school with? Low self esteem, self confidence, depression and low or low qualifications etc. What a waste of their potential not only to themselves but to society as a whole sigh.