Sheeeesh these things are sent to try us

My knackered laptop

Hi Blog followers hope you are all ok

Looks like I am going to have to buy a new lap top sheesh, going to cost at least £750 that I have not got ouch. Graphic is my original plan for my dyslexia hub

Initial plan for our dyslexia hub resurrected


#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all Steve McCue

There are many dyslexic geniuses out there but because our education system fails us many never realize that genius

Unique Dyslexic Eye t shirt

 

Hi blog readers and followers, hope you have had an enjoyable holiday

Scenius is: ‘a group of creative individuals who make up an ‘ecology of talent’. 

There are many dyslexic geniuses out there but because our education system fails us many never realize that genius. But it is out there because we know 35% of dyslexics are entrepreneurs. 

Dyslexic geniuses that do succeed do so in spite of there experiences in education and not because of it.

If we are ever going to change how society sees dyslexia we must come together and develop our creative dyslexic scenius to do it.  

We need to challenge societies medical model of dyslexia that tell dyslexics that dyslexia is about deficits, discrepancy and disorder. This medical model has nothing positive to say to dyslexics or about dyslexia.

This is why I developed the social model of dyslexia together with social enterprise. The social model of dyslexia tells us dyslexia is about diversity and difference and the social enterprise part basically means we can support ourselves to solve the issues we face in a dyslexic unfriendly society. 

The social model of dyslexia is our model its provides dyslexics with positive and inclusive vision. It tells it like it is, we struggle at school because our education system is dyslexia unfriendly. It is also neuro diverse and disability unfriendly.

Dyslexics have unique minds, we need to come together to create and untilise our dyslexic scenius to benefit the dyslexic community.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all.......please leave a like or join our community and or share my podcasts.

Below is a link to my Unique Dyslexic Eye blog on dyslexic scenius:

Dyslexic scenius podcast

Why not join our Unique Dyslexic Eye Clan and subscribe

#PeaceLoveGroovyness from me Steve McCue founder of Unique Dyslexic Eye and Dyslexia Pathways

Good leaders inspire

We are all citizens of planer Earth

Hi all hope you are all safe and well

Politicians like boris johnson have given up on us. They are not leaders, they are quitters. Good leaders inspire, they lead by example and get people working together, Not openly lie to us and seek to divide us. Johnson and tory party are not fit for purpose, get em out of power now.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue

I am a citizen of planet Earth

 

I am a citizen of planet Earth

Hi all

Only by coming together as a global community will we ever defeat the evils or poverty, bigotry, greed, global warming and COVID.

We are all citizens of planet Earth first and foremost.

The world needs more #PeaceLoveGroovyness

Steve McCue

Merry Christmas from us all

 

Merry Christmas all


Click on the secure link

Merry Christmas

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all Steve McCue

Society just doesn't get diversity, difference or dyslexia and neuro diversity

 

 dyslexic tee shirt, logo by me, Steve McCue

Society just doesn't get diversity, difference or dyslexia and neuro diversity it just cant get away from using the disable label.

Please leave us a thumbs up or a like even better share on your own social media.

Leave a comment and what would you like me to a podcast on?

Just click on the link before

PODCAST FROM SERIES 1 UNIQUE DYSLEXIC EYE

Would be fab if you join our Unique Dyslexic Eye clan and help our social media channels grow.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Keep safe and stay well

Steve McCue

Unique Dyslexic Eye Show: Advocating for dyslexic and neuro diverse communities.

 

Unique Dyslexic Eye show 

Hi Blog followers and readers, welcome to another blogcast

Advocating for #Dyslexic and #NeuroDiverse communities. Music provided by #Dyslexic and #NeuroDiverse musicians. We promote the #Dyslexia and #NeuroDiversity through social enterprise and social model of #Dyslexia.

Models of Dyslexia, Neuro diversity

Please join the Unique Dyslexic Clan by subscribing to the show and  or comment.

thanks for reading #PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue

Dyslexia: Assessment, empathy and emotional intelligence

 

My Unique Dyslexic Eye Show Logo

He everyone hope you are all doing away out there

In this podcast I talk about dyslexia assessment and why a dyslexia assessment is so crucial for our well being and understanding about our dyslexia etc. 

I also talk about the social model of dyslexia verses the medical model of dyslexia as well as dyslexic empathy and emotional intelligence.

Please comment if you have a comment, please follow and leave a like and please share share share.

Unique Dyslexic Eye podcast from series 1

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all and be seeing you on my next live show.

Many thanks

Steve McCue

Episode 4 series 1 Unique Dyslexic Eye

Unique Dyslexic Eye Show Logo

Hi blog readers hope you are well

Here is one of my early Unique Dyslexic Eye Shows. All music is by dyslexic musicians who have given their permission to for us to play their songs on the show.

The show includes articles on being dyslexia positive.

Unique Dyslexic Eye show episode 4 series 1 

Hope you all enjoyed the show. We appreciate all your support here at Unique Dyslexic Eye.

Your comments and questions are welcome.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue why not join our dyslexic / neuro diverse clan and subscribe or follow our Unique Dyslexic Eye clan

If you are dyslexic or neuro diverse musician or poet or just have something to say or story to tell contact me at steve_mccue@hotmail.com

My dyslexic memory: How the heck did I forget this lol

 

Unique Dyslexic Badge I designed a way back

Hi everyone hope you are all keeping yourself safe out there

Blimey, found four dyslexia / neuro diverse training courses I put together late 2019 early 2020. The plan was to start marketing and delivering them in 2020.

But then COVID kicked us up the backside and meant I had to put them on the back burner.

The question I ask myself is:

How the heck did I manage to forget I had planned and completed these?????

Unique Dyslexic was developed by my social enterprise Dyslexia Pathways CIC which is a not for profit social enterprise.

Dyslexia Pathways CIC is all about the training and the academic side of dyslexia while Unique Dyslexic is all about the creative, mental health and well being side of dyslexia.

Dyslexia Pathways CIC was founded 2008 while Unique Dyslexic started maybe 2016. This was followed by Unique Dyslexic Get Creative campaign and then Unique Dyslexic Eye show which is our response to COVID lol.

I ran a successful Kickstarter early 2021 which raised £790 to start Unique Dyslexic Eye.

Anyway that enough from me

#PeaceLoveGroovyness from me Steve McCue I am a dyslexic dyslexia and inclusion specialist, jack of all trades podcaster lol

One of my early Unique Dyslexic Eye podcasts: A one hour special

 

One of my early dyslexic t shirt logo designs

Hello there subscribers, followers and listeners hope you are well

Below is a link to one of my early Unique Dyslexic Eye podcasts, Music is provided free with the permission of the performers. Just click the link below. Three dyslexic students share there life experiences of being dyslexic.

Unique Dyslexic Eye show Series 1

I would be grateful for any feedback or questions

#PeaceLoveGroovyness from me, Steve McCue Unique Dyslexic Eye

ideas popping like crazy popcorn kernels inside my dyslexic head lol

 

Hello there #blogateers lol just made that word up

Been tired the last few days, always happens after working hard supporting students and holidays come, also been hyper active writing dyslexia blogs, ideas popping like crazy popcorn kernels ,

Today I will get back to work, I hope, many emails to write, paper work to do, oh joy. Picture above that's me in my kilt maybe 6 years old blimey.

Thanks for reading

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue

Hey, why not join my dyslexia , neurodiversity clan and subscribe or follow me on my Unique Dyslexic Eye social media

Matt Hancock and dyslexia: should we be looking up to famous dyslexics just because they are dyslexic?

Hi all, a not so positive dyslexia blog from me

I see Matt Hancock, x tory MP, is receiving some kudos from some quarters about dyslexia awareness.

Before we go over board with this. He cheated on his wife and kids with a colleague last year. He was caught breaking his own lockdown rules with his mistress. Not forgetting he was part of a government responsible for the loss of 140.000 lives lost to COVID.

He was on TV again telling lies about more parties that broke COVID rules at 10 Downing Street this morning. He is no Einstein he is an unprincipled philanderer and liar. Sorry to put a downer to this guys but my dyslexic hate of any injustice meant I could not just sit back and say nothing.

When I first saw this story I was going to present a podcast about this but I was so angry that it would have ruffled a few feathers. Hence, the blog where my dyslexic passions don't have an opportunity to get away lol. Is this a man you want dyslexic kids to look up to?

#PeaceLoveGroovyness

Steve McCue

A little word about assistive technology

 

Hi Blog readers hope you are all well

Assistive technology can be fab for disabled people, for dyslexics and for people in neuro diverse communities. but it can be expensive. However, assistive technology by itself is not a panacea, it does not work for all. Assistive tech companies will sell it like it is a panacea but it is not. So what can we do?

Now, my fab big picture dyslexic mind just wants to write a whole big picture blog about this. I actually have written a whole pig picture blog about this. My dyslexic readers will probably want a big picture blog but it would mean writing a very long blog that will be unreadable for many for many reasons.

Ok, so what do I want to say about assistive technology here in the UK: 

If you are a student at university and on some college courses, such as an HND you can apply for Disabled Student Allowance. Its a fab scheme I would advise any dyslexic, neuro diverse or disable student to apply for it. Apply for it as soon as you are accepted on your course. Disabled Student Allowance will pay for assistive tech hardware, for software, for training on the software and access to a study support specialist. 

I advise ever disable, dyslexic or neuro diverse student to apply for this.

If you are employed or starting a new job you can apply for Access to Work funding. Access to Work is probably the least known support programme for both employers and employees. But Access to Work is the most beneficial programme for employers and employees alike. If you are a new employee the cost to you and and employer is zero.

Ok so what is the catch I hear you ask? I guess the biggest is you must disclose that you are dyslexic, disabled or neuro diverse. This implies you need some some evidence that you are disable, dyslexic or neuro diverse. Universities can, and do, provide free access to an dyslexia assessment. 

This is not available through Access to Work. But you can get access to support for mental health issues. Now don't quote me on this but I don't believe you have to disclose this to your employer.

Please note: I have had some great support from Access to Work. I have also had some really crap experiences. But dont let that stop you for applying. 

If you are a dyslexic, disabled or neuro diverse entrepreneur I advise finding out more about Access to Work.

But what can you do if you are not a student or not employed? Assistive technology is expensive that much is certain. But there is some great free assistive tech out there. Too many apps and software packages to mention. Below is a link to a set of assistive tech freeware for Window called My Study Bar. A link is provided below.

My Study Bar is:

A suite of portable Windows freeware applications assembled into one package to support learners with literacy difficulties.

It can be run from a USB pen drive or from your desktop.

If you want to check out assistive tech always look for a try before you buy option or a free to use option like My Study Bar.

So, do you remember right at the start of this blog I said it was not going to be big picture lol sigh that didn't last long did it?

Anyway, that's enough from me #PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all.

Steve McCue

lol Originally, I set out to write about My Study Bar lol yeah that worked

Study shows stronger links between entrepreneurs and dyslexia

 

Dyslexia: Different Minds, Different Thinking, Unique Solutions: #dyslexia a difference that reflects #diversity 

Study shows stronger links between entrepreneurs and dyslexia

Dyslexia Pathways CIC Enabling Dyslexics to Fly

The Dyslexic Mind is a Fabtastic Mind

It has long been known that dyslexics are drawn to running their own businesses, where they can get around their weaknesses in reading and writing and play to their strengths. But a new study of entrepreneurs in the United States suggests that dyslexia is much more common among small-business owners than even the experts had thought.

The report, compiled by Julie Logan, a professor of entrepreneurship at the Cass Business School in London, found that more than a third of the entrepreneurs she surveyed - 35 percent - identified themselves as dyslexic. The study also concluded that dyslexics were more likely than nondyslexics to delegate authority and to excel in oral communication and problem solving and were twice as likely to own two or more businesses.

"We found that dyslexics who succeed had overcome an awful lot in their lives by developing compensatory skills," Logan said during an interview. "If you tell your friends and acquaintances that you plan to start a business, you'll hear over and over, 'It won't work. It can't be done.' But dyslexics are extraordinarily creative about manoeuvring their way around problems."

The study was based on a survey of 139 business owners in a wide range of fields across the United States. Logan called the number who said they were dyslexic "staggering" and said it was significantly higher than the 20 percent of British entrepreneurs who said they were dyslexic in a poll she conducted in 2001.

She attributed the greater share in the United States to earlier and more effective intervention by American schools to help dyslexic students deal with their learning problems. Approximately 10 percent of Americans are believed to have dyslexia, experts say.

One reason that dyslexics are drawn to entrepreneurship, Logan said, is that strategies they have used since childhood to offset their weaknesses in written communication and organizational ability - identifying trustworthy people and handing over major responsibilities to them - can be applied to businesses.

"The willingness to delegate authority gives them a significant advantage over non-dyslexic entrepreneurs, who tend to view their business as their baby and like to be in total control," Logan said.

William Dennis Jr., senior research fellow at the Research Foundation of the National Federation of Independent Business, a 400,000-member trade group in Washington, said the study's results "fit into the pattern of what we know about small-business owners."

"Entrepreneurs are hands-on people who push a minimum of paper, do lots of stuff orally instead of reading and writing, and delegate authority, all of which suggests a high verbal facility," Dennis said. "Compare that with corporate managers who read, read, read."

According to Logan, only 1 percent of corporate managers in the United States have dyslexia.

Much has been written about the link between dyslexia and entrepreneurial success. Fortune Magazine, for example, ran a cover story five years ago about dyslexic business leaders, including Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways; Charles Schwab, founder of the discount brokerage that bears his name; John Chambers, chief executive of Cisco; Craig McCaw, the cellular phone pioneer; and Paul Orfalea, founder of the Kinko's copy chain.

Similarly, Rosalie Fink, a professor at Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, wrote a paper in 1998 on 60 highly accomplished people with dyslexia, from a Nobel laureate to a Harvard oncologist.

But Logan said hers was the first study that she knew of that attempted to measure the percentage of entrepreneurs who had dyslexia. Carl Schramm, president of the Kauffman Foundation, which financed the research, agreed. He said the findings were surprising but, he noted that there was no previous baseline to measure it against.

Emerson Dickman, president of the International Dyslexia Association in Baltimore and a lawyer in Maywood, New Jersey, said the findings made sense. "Individuals who have difficulty reading and writing tend to deploy other strengths," said Dickman, who has dyslexia. "They rely on mentors, and as a result, become very good at reading other people and delegating duties to them. They become adept at using visual strengths to solve problems."

Orfalea, 60, who left Kinko's - now FedEx Kinko's - seven years ago, and who dabbles in a hodgepodge of business undertakings, is almost boastful about having both dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"I get bored easily, and that is a great motivator," he said. "I think everybody should have dyslexia and ADD."

He attributes his success to his difficulty with reading and writing because it forced him to master verbal communication.

"I didn't have a lot of self confidence as a kid," he said. "And that is for the good. If you have a healthy dose of rejection in your life, you are going to have to figure out how to do it your way."

Danny Kessler, 26, also has dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He founded Angels with Attitude, which holds self-defense seminars for women. He is a co-founder of Club E Network (www.clubenetwork.com), which sponsors "networking events," runs an online chat room for entrepreneurs and produces television shows about them.

He said he also had low self-esteem as a child, and now views that as a catapult into the entrepreneurial world. "I told myself I would never be a lawyer or a doctor," he said. "But I wanted to make a lot of money. And I knew business was the only way I was going to do it."

Hope you enjoyed this article and hope you feel more positive for reading it.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue

Dyslexia; we need a shared identity a cohesive community

 Hi blog readers hope you are all feeling fab

Fab to see a new dyslexia organisation talking the negative stereotypes that surround dyslexia.

‘I strongly believe that the time is right to

look at dyslexia in a more positive way –

that it is not a disability, but a strength.’

– Sally Gardner

Multi-award winning, dyslexic children’s

author Sally Gardner is launching a pioneering new website

for dyslexic thinkers that aims to radically change the

discourse surrounding dyslexia and increase understanding of

the strengths of the dyslexic mind.




NUWORD logo

What do you think defines dyslexia? Can you tell us about some of the strengths?

I would say it’s a difference that reflects human diversity. If we look at nature and humanity, nature thrives because of diversity–it would be boring if there were only one kind of tree, one kind of animal etc. 

To say that there’s only one way the brain works is preposterous. Just go back to primordial times and look at how we’ve developed–the amount of diversity and the amount of difference that makes what we are today. There is a way that the dyslexia mind works that links us as a group. 

There are a lot of strengths–we see in three dimensions (there are a lot of good dyslexic architects), we’re good oral communicators, creativity is a strength talked about a lot. We have a smorgasbord of positive things that link to dyslexia–lateral thinking, entrepreneurial ability, problem solving–35 % of entrepreneurs are dyslexic.

Can you briefly explain the social model vs. the medical model please?

The medical model is imposed upon us, with that comes terms and labeling. It sees dyslexia as an impairment and this becomes the only focus. But I make sense of the world through a dyslexic prism; it’s so much more than one thing. 

The medical model talks about remediation and takes kids out of classes. Kids get isolated – often remediated during playtime, with more work at home. They get a lot of text-based homework. It erodes self-confidence and self-esteem and can lead to long-term mental health issues.

The social model has been developed as an extension of the social model of disability. Rather than saying the child is faulty, the child is valued. Barriers are identified and solutions are developed. 

The social model says society disables us. This starts with school being a dyslexia unfriendly place, with teaching that doesn’t understand dyslexia. Lots of parents have individual battles with the school trying to get the human right of equal education for their children. 

I got bored at school. I walked away from school at 14 – because I didn’t feel that I had any academic ability at all. We need schools to welcome and nurture diversity, where the child is included. 

Training for teachers is of paramount import. Teachers must be able to provide learning opportunities for dyslexic/all children. If we don’t have inclusion in our schools how are we going to have inclusion in society? How will non-dyslexics understand what it means if we continue to segregate and isolate?

What do you think needs to change in order to better understand dyslexia today?

I feel that medical model thinking is confused thinking–there are so many messages out there that are conflicting–it’s a tsunami of negative information. Many dyslexics take on that negative interpretation because that’s what they see. 

I put together a project called ‘Unique Dyslexic’, with my Dyslexia Pathways CIC team. We took the project out to dyslexics in Fife and got them together through creative activities. All had had negative experiences at school. One of the biggest barriers is that we believe we can’t read or write or spell. I think it’s that school hasn’t given us the right tools or the right teaching to enable us to access the written word. 

Reading from a book is just a strategy; you can have audio books or text to speech. There is still so much information that focuses on the negative that’s never been challenged. The social model has a simple message about diversity and difference, it can empower the dyslexic to overcome societal barriers. 

The social model is cohesive, the medical model is divisive. So instead of individual parents tackling a school, we can have groups of parents tackling a school. When we talk about the medical model, many teachers just think that they should lower their expectations for dyslexics – because they don’t have the tools to embrace neurodiversity. 

Dyslexics become segregated and isolated through to their adult life. In the ‘Unique’ project we had people who had never talked to another dyslexic, who had taken on the medical model and struggled with self-confidence. 

One of the biggest things that came from the Unique project was that people were talking about their dyslexia and sharing their stories. We have a strong empathy and emotional intelligence–by getting people together we’re starting to end the segregation.

Why is building a community so important?

A community with a shared identity is so important. We don’t have that at the moment. If there was a cohesive dyslexic community we

could have a dyslexic culture (read Dr. Ross Cooper). I looked at building an online community and it worked to an extent–but what we need is a tangible community where people can meet face to face and have discussions. 

One of the issues is that the big dyslexic organisations have become businesses–they’re pulled in lots of different directions. I became a social enterprise and we do have to charge a small amount for our work, but we strive to do it as low cost as possible. 

Funders want you to be income-based rather than trying to get funding. They expect you to show them money. Before, you could get funding with no strings attached, but now there’s a fight for funding with lots of strings attached.

What advice would you give an adult or child struggling with dyslexia?

For a child, school can be a horrible place. But that experience doesn’t necessarily stop you from going on to have a career in what you want. When I left school I would have said I was least likely to become academic. 

When I was assessed at 35 and began to understand what being dyslexic means for me, I was able to go on and become academic. I talked to a lot of dyslexic entrepreneurs who didn’t go along the academic route, but did well because of their way their mind works–laterally rather than logically. I think we need dyslexic mentors from universities and business for young people. It would be a way to show that dyslexia is not a life sentence in a negative way, meaning unable to attain, unable to read, unable to write.

For adults, from the survey I did, around 65% said they were positive about being dyslexic. When asked them about how society viewed dyslexia over 80% felt society viewed dyslexia as a negative. We need real life community meetings to raise awareness, to offer support, to give ourselves a louder voice. 

Online is not enough. We want open first dyslexia hub here in Fife. It’s difficult as we’re such a small organization, with little funding. The only money coming in is what I earn. Hopefully in Fife we will put together a steering committee. We were the first dyslexia-focused social enterprise in the world. In a recent Erasmus European paper Dyslexia Pathways CIC were seen as leading the way for social inclusion.

We here at Dyslexia Pathways CIC are looking for 

people to help us in or goal of opening a dyslexia

hub. We need funding, people with experience of

setting up and running a community project, people

who share our social model of dyslexia vision

We see dyslexia as a difference that reflects diversity and not a disability.

What do you think the future looks like for dyslexic thinkers?

If we can move on and challenge the medical model and grow a dyslexic community, where we can challenge and ask our politicians to do more and we can affect change better together. 

At the moment we have to wear the dyslexic label and the disabled label, but dyslexia doesn’t disable me. We believe that social enterprise together with the social model of dyslexia offers dyslexics with a new and innovative way forward. A way forward that is positive, inclusive and values diversity and dyslexic strengths.

What are your thought on the questions asked and my responses? Please leave your comments here.

ta for reading

regards

Steve

PS many thanks to Concept Northern for their offer of support and help with our new tee shirt designs.