Dyslexia, Diversity and Difference

 

#PeaceLoveGrooveness to you all, biscuits made by Layla and very yummy they were too

Hello, hello hello there,

Dyslexia: a difference that reflects diversity. It is society that disables us.

Then I would say that wouldn't I? Not being dyslexic has its own negative aspects doesn't it. I would not want to be not dyslexic, if that makes any sense. We as dyslexics need to define dyslexia for ourselves not let a society that lacks any real understanding about being dyslexic define dyslexia for us.

I bang on about the medical / deficit model of dyslexia and how negative it is. All the medical / deficit model tells us is we are ill in some way. That we need to be cured. It tells the world we dyslexics have deficits, disorders and discrepancies. Way to go no dyslexic world.

There is far too much focus on remediation on trying to make us into a non dyslexic image that we will never achieve, and I would never want to achieve because being dyslexic is fab. Not enough focus on enabling us to develop to our strengths as a whole person so that we can embrace our dyslexia and succeed because of it.

Unless we break away the medical model of dyslexia many of us will keep on becoming negative self fulfilling prophecies and keep on being marginalised by wider society.

Anyway that's enough of me prattling on

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all. Please feel free to comment. Why not give my blog a share or subscribe, leave a like.

Steve Unique Dyslexic McCue

The dyslexia positives of dyslexia

 

Which do you prefer?

Welcome to my latest dyslexia blog

Being positive about dyslexia

Some of the positives about dysexia. We are • Highly creativity • Excellent lateral thinkers and problem solvers0 • Highly visually and spatially aware • Great communicators • Determined What other positives are there? https://pic.twitter.com/rFq25ryech

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

Dyslexia: We must nurture it not remediate or dismiss it

 

Me in my made bass playing days jammin in our studio

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.

Thanks for reading, #PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue

Some thoughts on Dyslexia Neuro Diversity

 

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.

#PeaceLoveGrooveyness to you all

Steve Unique Dyslexic McCue

#UniqueDyslexic

A fab dyslexia guest blog from Aimie

Aimie and #IAMDYSLEXIC

Hello there blog readers, hope you are all feeling fab,

For a change from me waffling on I thought I would like to ring in the changes a little here by inviting people to write a little guest blog for us. I am going to try and publish one around one a month. Give me a nod if you would like to write a guest blog for us.

So Amie from How to be happy has agreed to be my first guest blogger. Its important that we all have the opportunity to express our thoughts and opinions about being dyslexic and about dyslexia in itself. How else can we have a debate if we don't talk about the issues as each of us perceives them?

Guest Blog from Amie

Dear all you amazing dyslexics and neuro diverse people out there,

I can still remember being told I had to go through tests to find out ‘what I had’. I can remember feeling so patronised throughout my whole assessment. After years of learning support and feeling different my mum decided to get me tested by an educational psychologist. 

I also felt different and inadequate but do you know what was nice? Was to have a label. It was nice to actually have an ‘excuse’ so I could tell people ‘sorry may not look right, I have dyslexia.’ I think parents go into panic mode and can end up making things a lot worse.  But I remember thinking it was great to learn what I had and meant I could research better ways to cope.

I believe one of the biggest mistakes parents make is to feel sorry for their child. I read recently somewhere that a high percentage of entrepreneurs are dyslexic. Yes they probably all struggled at school like your child will probably struggle, but school is such a small part of someone’s life in the grand scheme of things. I meet with straight A, 1^st Class honour degree types of people every day that can’t seem to get a job, mainly due to their lack of social skills. 

It would seem to do well in school or University you have to have the top grades. Yes I did think that but not any more. Life is an experience, a gift and after school your life is not defined by exams results. I was lucky enough to be encouraged to pursue different avenues that highlight my strengths by my parents. 

Failure is a horrible feeling. So why make exam results the talk of the town in your household?  We should be encouraging our children in every aspect not just academic. If they have a flair for sport, music, drama, debating, public speaking whatever it may be, encourage it!

I quite often look through Twitter and see people talking about having Dyslexia and being Dyslexic and how down they are. This genuinely upsets me as people are measuring themselves on numbers or letters that are on a piece of paper. All I want to do is tell them it will be ok and bet they can achieve so much. I recently wrote down all the negative things about me and all the positives. when I did it I had way more negatives than positives. 

I then asked my friends, colleagues and family to do the same for me and they gave me much more positives than negatives. We really are our own worst enemy, we focus on the negatives and don’t embrace the positives. I sometimes wonder how many more Einsteins, Robin Williams’, David Bowies’ etc we could have had out there if people were more positive.

I read something recently that said ‘We are not born with insecurities, we create them.’ Do you think any babies out there are paranoid how they look, think or act? No! Because they are not aware yet and cant’ read things on social media or over-hear things being said about them. People in general are also bad at encouraging their friends and family or telling them how amazing they are.  

If anyone out there is reading this and struggles in life in any capacity (school, employment, social skills etc) then all I ask is ask anyone you know to write down three traits about yourself and I guarantee none of them will be negative. If , like me, you never felt like you would be successful; take all the lovely traits people have said about you and embrace them! Find a career where you can use these traits. You will be successful!

Kind regards,

Amie

Thanks for sharing your guest blog Aime, much appreciate it

If there is any one out there who would like to share a guest blog just email me at steve_mccue@hotmail.com. 

You dont have to write one, you can record one on audio or on video and send it to me.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness from me

Steve #Unique Dyslexic McCue



Ohhh the pain, the pain of it all

Me at some shin dig or other soppy looking git I am 

Hello all, hope you are feeling better than I am,

My feckin gnashers are killin me sigh. I was in the middle of getting treatment when COVID hit. Like many I have a phobia of dentists. Come from when I was a kid, maybe 3 or 4 years old. Originally, caught Scarlet Fever very nearly killed me. While in hospital I got a very bad throat infection. Pipes down my throat etc for weeks. All I could eat was ice cream. I cannot abide having people hovering around my face, medical tools and drills in my mouth.Finally, I had a bone grow out of one of my bum cheeks. Still have the scar. That was me in hospital for a year. The work on my teeth was a priority when COVID started. Gawd only knows what is going to happen now.

Sigh

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve #UniqueDyslexic McCue