Social Model of Dyslexia and Social Enterprise

Unique Dyslexic Eye #PeaceLoveGroovyness

Hi blog readers, subscribers, followers and friends

Podcast on why I support and promote the social model of dyslexia through social enterprise:

https://anchor.fm/uniquedyslexiceye/episodes/Why-social-model-of-dyslexia-and-social-enterprise-eh6elv

My podcast about why I support and promote the social model of dyslexia through social enterprise. First published 24,07,20 your comments are welcomed as are your likes, shares and follows. If you are a dyslexic or neuro diverse musician or poet, please send me your tracks and I will play them on my show Unique Dyslexic Eye. We are actively seeking sponsors, subscribers and funders to support and help fund our Unique Dyslexic Eye Podcasting and broadcasting work. We believe our social model of dyslexia and social enterprise vision offers the dyslexic and neuro diverse communities and inclusive, innovative and positive way forward in 2021 and onward.

#podcast #dyslexic #neurodiversity

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue

Some COVID restrictions lifted in Scotland: A little advice for us

 

Peace Love Groovyness t shirt

Hi blog readers, subscribers, followers and friends

So today in Scotland some COVID restrictions are being eased. Don't go fecking bonkers, still wear your masks where advised, still keep your social distance and continue to wash your hands regularly.

COVID is still out there taking lives, it ain't rocket science.

#covid #health

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all 

keep safe and stay well

Steve McCue

Cursive made me curse lol

 

Part of an art installation I did a while back. The light over the letter I signifies #iamdyslexic

Good day to everyone hope you are all well and ready for the week end.


I have been talking to and reading on social media about other dyslexics experiences and parents of dyslexics with hand writing. I have to say some of what I hear and read it seems like a nightmare for many of us.

So I was wondering about anyone else's experiences with hand writing and being given hand writing practise at school?  

It didn't matter how much school tried to make me learn a cursive handwriting style I just couldn't get it together.

Please leave me your thought and comments.

I know all the arguments for handwriting and hand writing remediation including developing fine motor control, learning spelling from motor memory etc. 

But what about speech to text or even just the lowly computer keyboard etc. Surely the content of what is written is more important than how its being written?

So is having good handwriting as important as it once was?

Isn't the content of the writing the important thing not how it was written either by hand or speech to text or just by keyboard?

Speech to text software and assistive tech.

I personally don't get on with it because it gets in the way of my train of thought. But it can and does work for many other dyslexics. I have never been able to writing using a cursive style. 

I believe handwriting will become like a lost art maybe 30 years from now. I read somewhere that emojis are the way forward for communication. Business will lead here because speech to text is so much more efficient than typing or writing by hand.

The computer keyboard freed me from that particular little handwriting nightmare. I left school with no qualifications mainly because of my hand writing. Now with a computer keyboard I have my masters degree etc. Without it I might still be driving fork lift trucks or carrying bags of cement for a living instead of a dyslexia and inclusion specialist, social entrepreneur, writer of musician. 

The expectation that everyone should be able to write using cursive and neatly is disabling. It is a non dyslexic world expectation and its disabling. My job as a dyslexia and inclusion specialist is about enabling, finding ways that enable dyslexics to succeed. Its about finding solutions and enabling. If I can do that then I have succeeded.

Dyslexia is a difference that reflects diversity. We must enable that dyslexic diversity to thrive and achieve according to our strengths and talent. It is a non dyslexic society must to learn not shackle it to non dyslexic expectations such as we must write by hand using cursive.

many thanks for taking the time to read my blog.......if you think it has something to say please share it and or like it or even sudscribe.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue (dyslexic dyslexia and inclusion specialist since 1995)

Holding back a child a year at school

 

#PeaceLove|Groovyness 

Hi blog readers, followers and subscribers hope you are well

The education system fails the dyslexic child and then to add further insult to injury punishes the dyslexic child, and parents, by holding them back a year. The system looks at the dyslexic child and says you are the problem, you are faulty so we are going to hold you back a year for your own good. Holding any child back is just further evidence the system, the education system just does not work. But its not just dyslexic kids who get held back. 

Evidence suggests that, in the majority of cases, repeating a year is harmful to a student’s chances of academic success. In addition, studies consistently show greater negative effects for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, suggesting that the practice is likely to increase educational inequality. Repeating a year is also likely to lead to greater negative effects when used in the early years of primary school, for students from ethnic minorities, or for pupils who are relatively young in their year group. 

We also have to take into account how this damages a child's self esteem, self confidence, emotional health and mental health.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Please leave us a like, share, comment or subscribe join our dyslexic clan

Steve McCue

Some thoughts for parents / carers of dyslexic kids

Hi followers, readers and friends

A response I wrote to a concerned dyslexic parent

I am a dyslexic dyslexia and inclusion specialist. I empathise with your frustration and concern. Far to many dyslexic parents are experiencing the same as yourself and you child. Dyslexic kids need to be in class learning with their peers, they need to be learning from their peers and their peers can learn from their dyslexic peers. 

If the support your child is given is not working for that child, for what ever reason, then it has to change. If that support is doing more harm than good then it has to change. If all that support is doing is causing your child to fall further behind their peers it needs to change. If the support is negatively impacting on a child's well being, self esteem, self confidence and mental health then it needs to change. 

Our education system is dyslexia unfriendly, many class teachers don't have the training, resources and the time they need to created an inclusive learning environment. 

You say your chid is spending a lot of time in learning support. This sounds like exclusion rather than inclusion. Is this benefiting your child? She is not even being taught the same things as her in class peers? 

How can this be benefiting her? 

Who benefits from this? 

From what you say its not benefiting your child. In fact its doing the opposite. Its giving her anxiety, it will be impacting on her self esteem and self confidence. If you can get in contact with other parents who have a dyslexic, neuro diverse or disabled child at the school. Get together and see what happening to their children. Use parent power to make change.

Just to add there are some great schools and and fab work with dyslexic kids but they are the exception rather than the rule. That needs to change.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness

Steve McCue

Global pandemic: Intelligent life? you're having a giraffe lol

 

Hi followers, readers and subscribers

Global Pandemic

no globally co ordinated response

sigh

intelligent life on Earth?

you're having a giraffe

lol blimey

if there is

it certainly ain't human

maybe aliens are talking to dolphins

future of humanity?

gawd help us all

lol lol lol

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue

So where do we put Robin? A guest blog

Being Dyslexic: its about hidden abilities even to ourselves at times

Hi blog readers, followers, subscribers and friends hope you are all well

As promised I have another in my series of guest blogs from dyslexic and neuro diverse individuals. I first became aware of Robin's art and music way back in 2015 during our Dyslexia Pathways CIC, "Unique Dyslexic Get Creative campaign". He was one of a number of dyslexic creative who submitted their art work for exhibition on our Unique Dyslexic Get Creative web site and Celebration of Creativity Exhibition.

Here is Robin's blog with some examples of his fab artwork

Where do we put Robin?

When Steve asked me to write something for his blog I was honestly at a loss as to where to start. After some deliberation I decided to start at the point that dyslexia started to become a problem, primary school. Prior to school age I spent most of my time in the woods surrounding my home. If I wasn’t in the woods letting my imagination run wild then I was drawing with equal enthusiasm sometimes imagining the drawings coming to life.

I resented being taken from my life of fantasy to be placed in the schoolroom all day: so much so that they had to post a guard at the school gate to thwart my escape attempts. Back them, in the late 60’s; the three primary school teachers had no idea what to do with me.

I was a contradiction, my general knowledge was excellent and any story that was told to me I memories and could narrate back almost word for word; and yet I was years behind the other kids with my reading and writing skills.

They tried me in remedial class, which was great because I got to draw all the time, but it became very clear that I didn’t belong there. I was tested to see if it was my sight or my hearing I was called lazy or even sometimes accused of cheating all of which added to my resentment of being trapped in this institution. 

But every Wednesday afternoon I put that resentment aside in order to experience a radio program for schools all about myth and legend. The class was herded into the canteen and we sat cross-legged on the floor surrounding a mono speaker that each week told of a myth or legend from around the world.

  

I loved these stories replaying them over and over in my head wanting to become the God or beast that walked through the story. I would often draw the stories or characters out of them and as I grew older I searched out new and exciting stories. By the time I got to secondary school age I was taking myself off to the library every Saturday to trawl though the mythology books. In a way I think my reading may have improved not through the efforts of the school but as a result of these visits to the library the great thing about a lot of the stories was that there length was short so not to taxing

In my late teens early twenties I added another string to my bow in the form of composing music a lot of which was also based around mythological characters.

At 53 years old I am still thank full for these wonderful creative outlets and do wonder what would have become of me if I had not had this escape from frustrations and anger at being underestimated.

Many thanks for your fab blog Robin. I am certain there are many dyslexics out their who can empathize with your experiences.

If there is anyone else out there from either the dyslexic or neuro diverse communities who would like to write a guest blog just send me an e mail at steve_mccue@hotmail.com 

Social media links Please join us on our social media. Share your experiences, stories or creativity in a supportive and friendly environment.

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