Dyslexia: dont dis my abilities

Christmas greetings from Dyslexia Pathways CIC

Hi Blog Readers hope you are all well.

I am not going to write a long blog today you will be glad to hear lol.

Funding bid news

Good news this week as I completed my application for business support from Just Enterprise. I received a positive response the day after I send it.

I am getting some support writing a new business plan and marketing strategy. Even a not for profit social enterprise like mine has to have these.

This will help with future funding bids as well as with our new services and tee shirts etc.

I also completed stage one of the Improving Lives lottery funding bit. Will take a few weeks to see how that's gone. Even if the Lottery does not accept it I now have a comprehensive proposal for the Dyslexia hub. This will make any future funding bid easier to put together.

Tee shirts

Did some more work on the #iamdyslexic tee shirts. I was reading a post couple days ago which gave me the ideas.

What do you think. Got a lot of likes and positive feedback so far about these ideas. I am researching possible places to get them printed up.

Other News

I was doing a little research of possible funders to contact and found the Bridges Ventures Social Enterprise Fund I am going to have a crack at doing something for this in the new year.

Also thinking about making and application to the Clore Fellowship. Both have rather long application forms to complete sigh.  

Our little crowd funding appeal is now named Donate Dyslexia by the way. Below is a link to our Unique Dyslexic Facebook. You can find the Donate Dyslexia button in the home menu. Any monies raised is to help us pay for our web sites etc

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

More from our dyslexia research. We are asking dyslexics to share their thoughts on being dyslexic.
How would you answer these questions?

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 

Any way that's enough from me. Merry Christmas to you all. While it may be a merry Christmas it will not be so for millions of people across the world.

Thinking of them all over this Christmas. 2016 has witness so much pain, misery, death and suffering. I cannot find the right words to say what I want to say about it all.

Lets hope 2017 is a better year that 2016. 

Dyslexics tell it like it is now you tell it?

Photo from Dyslexia Pathways Unique Dyslexic Celebration of creativity

Hi Blog readers hope you are all well

A while back I did a little research of dyslexia. Nothing to complicated just asked a few questions about our experiences and thoughts on being dyslexic. Also I had not seen anyone else asking we in the dyslexic community these questions.

Below are three of the questions and results and responses I got. I thought they were very interesting and I wonder if this reflects the feelings and thought of the majority of dyslexics out there:

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

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

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 note that so many who took the survey were positive about being dyslexic. Yes you guessed it 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

Please let me know what your thoughts and feelings are about the results from this research?

How would you answer these questions....please share your answers.

anyway many thanks for reading and to any of you who respond to this blog

Dyslexia, inclusion, diversity and difference a new and positive way forward

Participants from our Unique Dyslexic Get Creative Fused Glass Workshop

New ideas and new way forward for the dyslexic community:

Almost all new ideas are generated by individuals but they are given life by and nurtured by communities and the cultures they can create.

If we are ever going to move away from a negative medical model of dyslexia that has nothing positive to say to dyslexics or about dyslexia. We, as dyslexics, need to come together and create a coherent global dyslexic community. A community that has a single message. This being that dyslexia is a difference that reflects diversity. 

A global dyslexic community that has a more positive social model of dyslexia vision of dyslexia. A vision which nurtures and values dyslexic diversity and difference and celebrates all that we have achieved and are still to achieve in the future.

We need to consign the medical model of dyslexia to history where it belongs because it has failed us as dyslexics. The medical model of dyslexia is one that has been imposed on us and does nothing but shackle us to a negative stereotype of dyslexia.

The social model of dyslexia defines us by what we can do and achieve, it empowers us and it frees us from the negative medical model stereotype that tells us being dyslexic means we are disabled is some way.

The social model of dyslexia was developed by dyslexics for dyslexia. It is our own model.

That's why I believe that dyslexia is a difference that reflects diversity and that neuro diversity is as important as biodiversity.

My organisation Dyslexia Pathways CIC was the first dyslexia focussed social enterprise in the world and we have embraced and promoted the social model of dyslexia.

Why not join us and let's create the global community and culture we are dyslexics need to move forward and enable our dyslexic kids to thrive and succeed.

One of the achievements I am most proud of with Dyslexia Pathways CIC is this:

(CIC stands for Community Interest Company) This means we're are a

registered social enterprise and our social aim is to promote and



support dyslexic and other neuro different communities. As with all




social enterprises we are not for profit.

This quote is from an Erasmus academic paper that mentions Dyslexia


 Pathways CIC:

"There are numerous CICS who have succeeded in providing an intermediation function developing pathways that assist individuals with disabilities to access support to engage in academic courses and vocational qualifications.

These include Dyslexia Pathways CIC, All Inclusive Disability Consultants CIC and Acute Need CIC who have all led the way for social inclusion for those within the disabled community looking to access support to enhance and develop their skillset.

There continues to remain an urgent need for person centered planning rather than relying on generic mechanism for all types of learning disabilities. There is substantial disparity in how these individuals are treated i.e. only 15 % of adults with autism are in paid employment compared to 48% of people with general disabilities (Higgins, 2009)." One in five dyslexics are unemployed.

You can read the whole paper by  clicking on the link below

The message is social enterprise and social model of dyslexic = a new way forward for the dyslexic community.

 http://archive.londonmet.ac.uk/cice/fms/MRSite/Research/cice/pubs/2012/2012_272.pdf

If you read my last blog you can see I am very busy working on a number of things for Dyslexia Pathways CIC. We are currently looking for people who would like to support our work. Or help us crowd fund etc. Of support us in our aim of opening a dyslexia / neuro diverse hub for communities across Fife.

Dyslexia Pathways CIC was the first dyslexia focussed social enterprise in the word We support and promote dyslexia and neuro diversity through social enterprise and social model of dyslexia.




We believe this offers a positive and innovative way forward for the dyslexic community and an empowering alternative the the medical model of dyslexia. A model which tells us our brains do not function normally and that we are broken in some way.

The social model tells us dyslexia is all about diversity and difference. Nature thrives because of diversity and difference as does humanity. That's why we say vivaladifference for dyslexia and neuro diversity as well as for disability.

If we cannot respect and embrace neuro diversity and all other aspect of diversity on planet earth. Then how will we embrace and respect it when we meet it in the universe?

And Finally:

A little something for every dyslexic in the world. May your journey as a dyslexic in a non dyslexic world be a fab one. Every single one of you dyslexics out there are fabtastic. A huge heap of thanks to all those who love and support us.

Together we can touch the stars

Many thanks for reading peace love and groovyness to you all

Steve

PS;

Had fab convo with Laura Laura Dyslexic Jackson-Cavalleri via Skype on Sunday morning about what they are accomplishing for the dyslexic community in Staten Island. We need to have more conversations world wide if we are going to nurture and grow a more positive vision of dyslexia.

A vision that focusses on a positive social model of dyslexia that talks positively about dyslexic diversity and difference and being dyslexic instead of a negative medical model dyslexia vision that has nothing positive to say to us as dyslexics or about dyslexia and has accomplished little for dyslexics.

Always happy to talk to kindred spirits about being dyslexia positive