Dyslexic students do not fall through the cracks. Our education system is dyslexia unfriendly. That's the issue. Parents can fight for years to get the support their children need in school. Even then they can find accessing support an uphill struggle.
Don't get me wrong here there are fab schools and teachers out there but they are few and far between.
Teachers do not receive any training in meeting the learning needs of dyslexic students on their initial teacher training courses.
The research I did showed that only 20% of assessed dyslexic adults were assessed at school. The other factor here is people will look at dyslexia in isolation from all other factors.
Factors including poverty, parental support at home, and alack of political will to really make positive change that will enable dyslexic students to succeed are just few of additional factors needing to be considered. Just looking at dyslexia in isolation gives a very one dimensional picture.
Finally, we have to consign the medical discrepancy model of dyslexia to history.
It is a model that has nothing positive to say about dyslexia or to dyslexics. It's a model that traps dyslexics behind a negative stereo type that says we are broken in some way, we need treatment etc. It's a model that has gotten us precisely nowhere.
We have to change that narrative and that's why I support and promote the social model of dyslexia. The basic premise is it is society that disables us. For so many of us this disabling begins at our dyslexia unfriendly education system. Dyslexia is about diversity and difference not disability.
Below is a link to our little dyslexia neuro diversity positive online shop. As is often said dyslexia is a hidden disability. But I would say its about untapped abilities or hidden abilities.
If we are ever going to make positive change for all dyslexics present and future we need to build a coherent dyslexic community. A community with one positive message, one based on social model of dyslexia principles.
I realise every dyslexic is on their own journey coping and developing an understanding on how being dyslexic works for them. We all have different experiences of school etc.
For me personally I am very open and positive about being dyslexic at every opportunity. Some dyslexics don't even talk about it to their friends. I totally understand why that is.
Anyway before I make this into another mega blog sheesh. I had to close down our online shop because our provider closed down The idea behind the shop and positive logos is to enable us to advocate for a more positive profile of dyslexia. Enable dyslexics to get together and share experiences and offer each other support. To start building a coherent dyslexic community. To make the invisible dyslexic visible. We can be ignored when we are visible not so easy to do that if we can be seen.
Yes I am probably just nuts but that's just par for my course lol
Peace love and groovyness to all you fab dyslexic out there.....
Steve McCue
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