Last post before the Christmas holiday news on the opening of our new Dyslexia Pathways CIC online shop

 

Hi blog readers welcome to my latest dyslexia blog. I hope you are all well and prepared for the next few busy days ahead. Todays blog is all about the future and our plans to diversify what we currently offer.

 

NEW SHOP:

 

Our new online shop will be opening this week We are hoping this is the start of a new era for Dyslexia Pathways CIC. Some of you will already know we were the first dyslexia focussed social enterprise in the world.

 

A social enterprise means we have to have social aims and our over arching social aim is to support and promote the dyslexic and other neuro difference communities. But in order to achieve our social aims we have to bring in our own income through our business and enterprise work.

 

The idea behind the tee shirts is to enable dyslexics and people from other neuro different communities to advocate for a more positive profile of dyslexia and neuro difference. At Dyslexia Pathways CIC we believe that:

 

that #dyslexia is a difference that reflects #diversity 

 

that #neurodiversity is as important as #biodiversity.

 

Below is a link to our new online shop, please feel free to visit and if you like what you see please buy. Please give any feed back you have positive and negative. There are also images of the tees themselves that come in a variety of colours, sizes and men, women and child models.

 

http://stores.clothes2order.com/unique-dyslexic/dyslexic/

HEALTHY WORKING LIVES:

In 2016 we will be working in partnership with Healthy Working Lives in Fife to deliver dyslexia awareness training and other dyslexia services to business, organisations and individuals in Fife. This is a new programme for us and hope this may be the start expanding our business.

I have got to update our Dyslexia Pathways CIC site to start promoting this new programme.

Here is a link to their internet site:

http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/news/free-health-safety--wellbeing-help-for-fife-workplaces-857

 

 

DONATE SOCIAL BUTTON:

 

 

We have added s Donate Social button to our Unique Dyslexic Facebook page, Donate Social lets our followers make donations on your Facebook page using PayPal or a credit card. They can also invite their friends to donate to our cause.

Donate Social is free to use, does not take a cut from any donations, does not store any personal information, and does not use tracking cookies.

 

Any money raised will be used to help us with our work, keeping our web sites and social media running.

 

Below is a link to our Unique Dyslexic Facebook page and the graphic bellows highlights where the Donate Social button is.

https://www.facebook.com/Unique-Dyslexic-Get-Creative-1431413910440768/

 

 





 

If you like what you see please give us a like, or share your creative work or just press our Social Donate button and donate.

 

Anyway that's enough for todays blog. Please feel free to send me your dyslexia stories or leave a comment here.

 

We are having quite a big Christmas day doo this year. 18 members of the family will be coming for dinner so its going to be a busy day.

 

My thoughts go out to all those who, for what ever reason, will be struggling over the Christmas period. Lets hope 2016 will be a better year for everyone.

 

ta for reading

 

Steve

 

Here is a little song from fab dyslexic singer songwriter Bex Adams

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STQ5LbdWz_U&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

 

 

 



 

Some thoughts about dyslexia

Hi blog readers hope you are well

Some thing about dyslexia for us all to think about

Right now we have individual parents of dyslexic kids fighting our education system one at a time. Sometimes they win little victories and get support for their dyslexic kids. Most of the time they face long battles and get nowhere.

We as dyslexic adults need to get together to build a social movement where we can work together. Work together to bring positive changes to the current education system that up to now is still failing too many of us and our children.

Right now many of us are fighting for positive change from the bottom upwards. We have to influence those who are responsible for developing education policy. This can only be done if we work together and take this to those who make policy.

There needs to be political will to make the changes to our education system that will enable our dyslexic kids to succeed is school. Right now there is no political will to do this. Only by working together can we influence those who run our education system.

We have to make a much more positive case for supporting our dyslexic kids. We have to move away from an old outdated medical model of dyslexia that basically tells us our brains do not work correctly. That somehow we are not normal. That we are broken in some way. What does this say to potential employers about dyslexics? What does this say to our dyslexic kids?

I am not saying dyslexics do not need support at school. What I am saying is we need teachers in every classroom being trained to teach to meet the diversity of learning needs in the class room. To enable teachers to do their job of teaching our dyslexic kids together with their non dyslexic peers in a classroom.

Every day I visit Facebook I read real life stories about dyslexic kids and parents battles to get what is a human right to a good education. Stories about dyslexic kids not wanting to go to school. About parents seeing their children crying and frustration and fear about going to school. This is just not good enough at all.

I believe it is society that disables dyslexics and that's why I promote and support the social model of dyslexia. I am not saying it's a perfect model but it places the responsibility for the failure of our education to meet the learning needs of dyslexic kids  where it belongs. Not on the shoulders of dyslexic kids and parents. But squarely on the shoulders of those who shape our education system and politicians why are responsible for developing and running an education system that fails so many of us.

Dyslexics can and do succeed but many do so in spite of their education not because of it.

#dyslexia is a difference that reflects #diveristy. We need to unleash that potential not remediate or stifle it.

Tee shirt news:

We have finalised four designs for our new range of dyslexia and neuro difference positive tee shirts. The basic idea is to enable dyslexics themselves to advocate and support a more positive profile of dyslexia.  

We are nearly ready to put them on sale on our online shop front. Tee shirts will come in a variety of colours and sizes for men women and children.

The idea is to get our positive message out there, to make us more visible and who knows start a positive social movement?

 
Remember neuro diversity is as important as biodiversity......
 
regards
 
Steve and ta for reading....

PS:

Here are links to our websites and social media:

 

https://www.facebook.com/Unique-Dyslexic-Get-Creative-1431413910440768/?sk=app_415675701824636

https://www.facebook.com/groups/unique.dyslexic/ our facebook group page

https://www.facebook.com/stephen.mccue.5 my page

https://www.facebook.com/Unique-Dyslexic-Get-Creative-1431413910440768/ 

kinda like our Unique Dyslexic campaign

come business page

http://www.dyslexiapathways.com/ company web page

 

http://sdyslexia.blogspot.co.uk/ dyslexia blog page

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVKyJJgQWkYUa93-GdtX3fg you tube channel

https://twitter.com/DyslexicEye Twitter

https://uk.pinterest.com/raelthing/ Pinterest

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=AAIAAAdBzacBPEi2aZeiCBELxGTTQBM_mq3HKU4&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile Linked in

https://soundcloud.com/groups/dyslexia-musicians-group Soundcloud Page

Some results from a little dyslexia research I carried out.

Hi blog readers hope you are all well


Feedback from a little dyslexia research I did a couple months back. Ok its only a small survey but it gives some interesting insights into our experiences as dyslexics:

A couple months ago a put together a little survey on your experiences and thoughts on dyslexia which I put up on survey monkey. Its still there if anyone wants to have a look and take the survey. I will go through the questions and results one at a time.

Question 1: When and where were you assessed as being Dyslexic?

19% were assessed at school

62% were assessed in later life either at college or university with a couple being assessed privately

19% had never been assessed but believed they were dyslexic.

One responder said," my son was assessed at school as dyslexic in 3rd grade and I was a lot like him in many ways"

Question 2: What problems did you face in your personal life, education, training for work, college or higher education before you were assessed?

100% 0f those who took the survey said they experienced problems and here are some of those responses:

1. Problems in school learning to read
2. Sacked bullied and rejected
3. Frustrated by teachers at school who believed I was lazy or cheating
4. I left school at 15, probably worked 4 or 5 times harder that non dyslexics
5. I was terrified of going to school
6. Shoved in a corner left to rot
7. Lack of support and understanding
8. Test taking, making friendships, self worth. Lots of problems being put down was always being told I was not smart enough

Question 3: Did you get access to any support for your dyslexia after you were assessed:

60% said yes
40% said no

One person said, " it was patronising and irrelevant

I am leaving out question 4 because I felt it was not well put together

Question 5: Overall do you feel positive or negative about being dyslexic?

68% felt positive
27% felt negative
5% felt both positive and negative

Good to see so many feeling positive

Question 6: Are you creative in any way?

89% said yes
11% said no

Some of the responses included:

1. Yes a Masters in photography
2. Yes art, problem solving, clinical decision making
3. I am a designer
4. Yes I can always figure something out it just takes a while
5. In every way overly
6. Yes in thinking and writing short stories and starting creative projects at work

Not bad responses from unique dyslexics.

Question 7: Overall do you think society views being dyslexic as positive or negative?

82% said society views being dyslexic as negative dyslexic
18% said society views being dyslexic as positive 

Interesting to not that so many who took the survey were positive about being dyslexic. Yes so many said that society views dyslexic as negative

Question 8: Why do you think society views being dyslexic as positive or negative?

Here are some of the responses I got from that question:

1. Negative, reading problems
2. Society sees any difference from the norm as negative, dyslexia is seen as a disability so is seen in a negative light
3. it is seen as a disability
4. I say its more of a distinction
5. they don't understand and negative images are portrayed
6. no but its getting better
7. some people don't understand it I think that's the problem
8. Living in a world of people who see everything in 2dimensions bringing a person who looks at things in three dimensions causes disruptions
9. society is abysmally ignorant
10. Because its called a learning disability and therefore it id immediately stigmatised by people who find difference challenging

Lots of different responses there. What would yours be? please leave yours in the comments section of this blog.

Question 9:Do you think enough is being done to enable dyslexics to succeed in education, training for work or in employment?

93% said not enough is being done
7% said yes

Well looks like more work needs to be done by all dyslexia organisation, schools, colleges, governments and employers.

Question 10: What one thing would you like to say about being dyslexic?

Here are some of the responses form this question:

I think differently to most people and my cognitive performance is in the 99.8 percentile. It may take me a while to get the information in but I can work magic once it is 

Its amazing just try it

Think creatively

Worse things can happen it shaped me

We need more help and acceptance

I am unique

I am just me, nothing is seriously wrong, I just see things differently, different does not have to be bad

I don't like others telling me what works and what doesn't, its different for each of us

I have the ability to see what others dream of and live my life in the moment

I am happy dyslexic I fit into a group better than being called slow or dumb

For every succeeder there are a thousand suffers

It has given me a creative twist on the way I see the world

I don't want to hide it I want to celebrate and share my gifts

I am not stupid and being diagnosed confirmed it 

Well I hope you enjoyed my latest dyslexia blog. Please leave any comments you may have in the comments section at the bottom of this blog. I think there are a lot of positive from this survey. But it also tells us there is a long way to go.

PS: Some fab news we recurred some funding from Foundation Scotland wooo wooooo

Questions:

Here is a opportunity for blog readers to ask  me  questions about my life experiences of being dyslexic which I will endeavour to answer. Below are some topics questions can be about.

Dyslexia and:

1. Education
2. Employment
3. Mental Health
4. Assessment
5. Music
6. Social entrepreneurship
7. Life high and low points in my life

PPS : We have added a donate social button our Dyslexia Pathways CIC Unique Dyslexic Facebook Page.


https://www.facebook.com/Unique-Dyslexic-Get-Creative-1431413910440768/


Its right beside the photos button. So if there is anyone who would like to donate just click on the button and follow instructions.



We are seeking donations to support our dyslexia projects including the Unique Dyslexic tee shirt and creative hub projects and keeping our web presence and social media going.



Dyslexia Pathways CIC was the first dyslexia focussed social enterprise in the world. We endeavour to promote a more positive social model profile of dyslexia though

Dyslexia Pathways CIC work and our Unique Dyslexic Campaign.

Just to remind you that we are a not for profit organisation.

anyway that's enough for this blog ta for reading and keep safe

regards

Steve



progress on Freshsight research for Dyslexia Pathways CIC and intrim report etc

Hi blog readers hope you are well.

Apologies my blog is a little late this week.

My father in law passed away on Friday 6th at 3pm after battling a long illness. He was surrounded by his family who all loved him. He was like the dad I never had to me. We will all miss him.

RIP Tom Smith

News from Freshsight:

For those who do not know Freshsight are a student lead business consultancy from Edinburgh University. The provide business consultancy services to charities and social enterprises. The carry our a programme of work as required for an 8 week period at a cost of £250. The team of 6 are doing great work for us.

Freshsight sent me a new video last week. The team went out and about at Edinburgh University asking about dyslexia and nuero difference. They got a lot of interesting and diverse responses:

FreshSight Interim Report on Dyslexia Pathways 5/11/15

The Client

During our initial client meeting, we established that

our client’s primary goal was to establish a physical

presence for Dyslexia Pathways in the form of a

dyslexia centre. The centre would primarily provide

services such as training and advocacy about the

neurodiverse community. Our client is additionally

interested in building a number of units to lease

within the centre, where creative dyslexics could

work together and establish their entrepreneurial

ideas. The client envisions the centre to be self-

funding through revenue generating streams such as

a heritage cafe.

The Deliverables

After analysing the business model of the Dyslexia

Centre and assessing its viability, the FreshSight

team realised that all individual components of the

centre require bespoke research as they appeal to

different target audiences. For example, the target

market for the informational session on Dyslexia is

different to the target market for leasing out the

creative units within the centre.

Therefore, after researching all individual aspects of

the Dyslexia Centre, we have divided our final

deliverables into the three overarching dimensions.

and finally competition time reminder:

 

Just to remind everyone about our design a positive dyslexia tee shirt logo completion for young people 16 years old and under.

 

As part of Dyslexia Pathways CIC Unique Dyslexic campaign we are running a competition for young dyslexics 16 years old or younger.

We are asking young dyslexics to design a dyslexia positive logo for a tee shirt as part of our Unique Dyslexic Campaign. You don’t have to be a fab artist to enter it’s about showing us your ideas.
The logo itself can only be a maximum of three colours (more colours = more printing costs)
...

The winner will be chosen through our social media on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest etc.
I will be setting up a Facebook album and Pinterest board where entries will be posted and seen by our social media followers.

All you need to do is send in a photo or a graphic file of the finished logo design to steve_mccue@hotmail.com and I can post it on our Facebook page.

Or entries can be posted directly onto our Facebook page. All we need name and e mail address of a parent / carer or teacher so that we can contact the winner at the end of the competition.
The prize will be a tee shirt with the winning logo printed on it. We may be able to throw in another small prize along with this. Perhaps a copy of Text Help Gold Student Edition.
If there is anyone wants to donate a prize that would be gratefully accepted.

Information on our social media why not have a look

or give us a like etc

https://www.facebook.com/Unique-Dyslexic-Get-Creative-1431413910440768/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/unique.dyslexic/

anyway enough for today take care and remember

#dyslexia is a difference that reflects #diversity

 

 

Please take a little survey on dyslexia and neuro difference

Hello there blog readers hope you are all well. Some of my regular readers my know that one of our goals at Dyslexia Pathways CIC and Unique Dyslexic Campaign is to open a dyslexia hub for the dyslexic and other neuro different communities.

The hub itself will be based in Fife Scotland but will have a global focus. The hub will focus on creativity, entrepreneurship, training, awareness training, a community café, supporting parents with dyslexic children, advocacy, volunteering, mentoring and being dyslexia positive.

We will promote a more positive social model of dyslexia and who know maybe even become a blueprint for other hubs around the world. We at Dyslexia Pathways CIC believe  that #dyslexia is a difference that reflects #diversity and that neuro diversity is as important as biodiversity.

Fresh Sight the student lead business consultancy based at Edinburgh University are in the process are completing some research into this for us over the next 8 weeks. They have designed a very short survey for people from all neuro diverse communities as well as dyslexics to complete.

It literally takes less than two minutes to complete and would help us in our aim to setting up our new hub.

Dyslexia Pathways CIC was the first dyslexia focussed social enterprise in the world. Please help us achieve our goal of a new hub.

Here is a link to the survey:

Dyslexia Pathways CIC neuro difference survey

Please share, share, share  and share my blog and the link. Much appreciated in advance

regards

Steve

Here is the Dyslexia Pathways CIC news and more news and even more news



Hi blog readers from Steve McCue at Dyslexia Pathways CIC and our Unique Dyslexic Campaign

Dyslexia Week

I have had a very busy week this week what with one thing or another. I had a reporter from Fife based news papers wanting me to write something for dyslexia week. The story has gone into two news papers this week already and it may go in another later in the week.

Below is a scan one of news paper articles:

Nice to get something positive in about being dyslexic, very happy with this.

One of my blogs was included in this online magazine in the science section. Think it was a bit of a stretch to call the blog science though lol. Also not sure who Carolyn D Cowen is either but still cool to get some exposure and its one of my better blogs.

Carolyn D Cowen Daily

Cross Party Group Social Enterprise

On Tuesday I went to the Cross Party Group on Social Enterprise at the Scottish Parliament. I think it was hosted by Social Enterprise Scotland. The Cross Party group on social enterprise is basiocally Scotland's Social Policy Forum. 

Nice building it is to and nice location. I guess there were around 30 people there including Chic Brodie MSP from the Scottish National Party in the centre of the photo and Anne McTaggart MSP Scottish Labour on the far right.

Scottish Parliament building



 Meeting conveners

 

For those who are unaware of social enterprise they are a business set up to deliver a specific social or environmental mission. But unlike a private company we have to be not for profit and instead invest 100% of it in a social purpose. At Dyslexia Pathways CIC we invest in dyslexics and dyslexia. Our Unique Dyslexic campaign last year was an expression of this.

 

Anyway the meeting was about the latest Census on the social enterprise sector:

 

The good news:

 

Scotland's social enterprises have £1.15 billion in traded income

54% of social enterprises are generating half of their income

Employs 112,409 people in Scotland

60% of social enterprises are led by women

 

The not so good news and an issues I have had a problem with since I got involved with social enterprise;

 

No mention, as far as I can see, was mentioned about disability lead social enterprises. Work needs to be done to make social enterprise a more inclusive movement.

 

The support the dyslexics social entrepreneurs is, from my own experience, non existent. This is crazy considering that 35% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic. I got my own question in about this at the meeting.

 

But all in all it was quite a positive meeting and I look forward to the next one.

 

Dyslexia Centre / hub News

 

 

I thought I would introduce you to the Fresh Sight team who are doing some research for us on this. Fresh Sight are a student led business consultancy who provide low cost business consultancy and research services. So they will be working for us over the next 8 weeks on this project for us.

 

and finally competition time:

 

Just to remind everyone about our design a positive dyslexia tee shirt logo completion for young people 16 years old and under.

 

As part of Dyslexia Pathways CIC Unique Dyslexic campaign we are running a competition for young dyslexics 16 years old or younger.

We are asking young dyslexics to design a dyslexia positive logo for a tee shirt as part of our Unique Dyslexic Campaign. You don’t have to be a fab artist to enter it’s about showing us your ideas.
The logo itself can only be a maximum of three colours (more colours = more printing costs)
...

The winner will be chosen through our social media on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest etc.
I will be setting up a Facebook album and Pinterest board where entries will be posted and seen by our social media followers.

All you need to do is send in a photo or a graphic file of the finished logo design to steve_mccue@hotmail.com and I can post it on our Facebook page.

Or entries can be posted directly onto our Facebook page. All we need name and e mail address of a parent / carer or teacher so that we can contact the winner at the end of the competition.
The prize will be a tee shirt with the winning logo printed on it. We may be able to throw in another small prize along with this. Perhaps a copy of Text Help Gold Student Edition.
If there is anyone wants to donate a prize that would be gratefully accepted.

Please share

Apologies its a long blog but so much has been going on

ta for reading

Steve unique dyslexic McCue and remember #dyslexia is a difference that reflects diversity

 



 

I am dyslexic not ill, I am dyslexic and do not need to be cured, I am dyslexic and proud get over it non dyslexic world lol

Hi blog readers hope you are all well.......



As many of you will already know my organisation Dyslexia Pathways CIC and through our Unique Dyslexic campaign promote and support the social model of dyslexia. We believe the social model of dyslexia provides us with a positive vision for the dyslexic community.  As well as for other neuro different communities.

Dyslexia is not an illness or condition to be diagnosed or cured. Dyslexia is part of who we are. Dyslexia is about neuro diversity not disability. The world would be a very boring and less enriched place if it were not for the creative genius of the dyslexic and neuro different mind.

‪#‎dyslexia‬ is a difference that reflects ‪#‎diversity‬

 

‪#‎uniquedyslexic‬ ‪#‎vivaladifference‬.

The issue for dyslexics is our education system fails to reflect the neuro difference and diversity that exists in the world. This failure basically fails kids from the dyslexic and other neuro different communities.

Neuro diversity is just as important as biodiversity.

 

We must nurture it not remediate or dismiss it.

 

Reminder of our tee shirt competition
 

As part of Dyslexia Pathways CIC Unique Dyslexic campaign, and dyslexia awareness week we are running a competition for young dyslexics 16 years old or younger.

We are asking young dyslexics to design a dyslexia positive logo for a tee shirt as part of our Unique Dyslexic Campaign. You don’t have to be a fab artist to enter it’s about showing us your ideas.
The logo itself can only be a maximum of three colours (more colours = more printing costs)
...

The winner will be chosen through our social media on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest etc.
 
I will be setting up a Facebook album and Pinterest board where entries will be posted and seen by our social media followers.

All you need to do is send in a photo or a graphic file of the finished logo design to steve_mccue@hotmail.com and I can post it on our Facebook page.

Or entries can be posted directly onto our Facebook page. All we need name and e mail address of a parent / carer or teacher so that we can contact the winner at the end of the competition.

The prize will be a tee shirt with the winning logo printed on it. We may be able to throw in another small prize along with this. Perhaps a copy of Text Help Gold Student Edition.
 
If there is anyone wants to donate a prize that would be gratefully accepted.

This little completion is open until January 2015 to give everyone time to get their creative work together.


Many thanks for reading and please share my blog or news about our tee shirt competition

PS: You can see one of our new tee shirt logo designs at the top of the page. If anyone want to pre order one just e mail me.

Oh yes finally I am looking for guest bloggers to talk about their experiences of being dyslexic. I will just add it to my blog, you can send in your photo etc. Have your say about dyslexia please.