Dyslexia Pathways: leading the way for social inclusion

Hello there everyone:

Welcome to all my friends out there. Hope you are all doing away out there.

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 the dyslexic and other neuro divergent communities. As with all
social enterprises we are not for profit.

This quote is from an Erasmus academic paper that mentions my organisation 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."


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

Many thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Would be fab if you would follow and share my blog.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

#IAmDyslexic: I am dyslexic

 

Logo for my Unique Dyslexic Eye Podcast

I am dyslexic. I don't have dyslexia. I don't suffer with dyslexia. I don't hate being dyslexic. I am not a person with dyslexia #IAmDyslexic.

Once I was assessed as dyslexic at age 35 I began my own journey of understanding  of what being dyslexic means and the many positives that came with being dyslexic. It enabled me to put my struggles at school into context. Only 19% of dyslexic adults were assessed at school. 

That's why a dyslexia assessment is so crucial because without one how can we as dyslexics understand who we are. Begin to understand that being dyslexic is fab. To stop ourselves from becoming negative self fulfilling prophecies.

Being dyslexic has many many positives: Strong emotional intelligence, fab creativity, big picture thinking, empathy, unique problem solving ability and so much more. Hey give me more positives comment please.... 

Ok reading is a pain but it does not stop me reading.

My spelling can be a trifle bazar but it does not stop me spelling or writing.

My memory eeep my memory can be a trifle emmmm what was I going to say? forgetful.

Don't ask me about remembering names hmmmmm wassyour name again?  Lol I was on a date once and for the life of me I couldn't recall what her name was the whole night sigh.

I would say the way the social moel of dyslexia defines being dyslexic is positive. I own the label and it does not own me. Its our model and not a model that has been imposed on us by a non dyslexic society.

I see the world through a dyslexic prism and very happy in my dyslexic skin. But I am far from happy by the way society defines dyslexia.

It is my view that society has a very one dimensional view of dyslexia and dyslexics. One that does tend to focus negatives.

Comparing dyslexics to non dyslexics is a bit like comparing a cow to a kangaroo. You ask a kangaroo to jump and it will jump. You ask a cow to jump and it quite simply cant. Then you label the cow as disabled, you diagnose it, you send it for remission jumping lessons and so on lol. Ok daft example lol but you get my drift lol. 

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

Then I would say that not being dyslexic has its own negative aspects. 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.

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 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 rattling on

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

Steve Unique Dyslexic McCue

 

Some of the brilliant Unique Dyslexic Get Creative participant feedback

 

Unique Dyslexics are #fab

My Unique Dyslexic Eye show logo

Hi to all 

Some of the brilliant Unique Dyslexic Get Creative participant feedback

Last year was a brilliant year for us especially with our Unique Dyslexic Get Creative Campaign

Our Unique Dyslexic Celebration of Creativity event was held on 29th October 2014. This was the first event of its kind to be held in Scotland by the first dyslexia focussed social enterprise, Dyslexia Pathways CIC constituted in the UK in 2009. 

I thought I would share some of the great feedback we received from people who attended:

• I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot
• How creative dyslexic people are
• I have found out some useful information that has made me feel happy
• Informed and confident
• Inspired and happy
• Like I have kindred spirits in Scotland Fantastic
• Very happy so interesting to hear so many and empowered speaking about the creativity of dyslexics
• Inspiring and Insightful
• Amazing justified in how I speak about dyslexia 
• Just such a great event loved it
•  Very confident, able and creative
• Fab, Important Valid
• Amazing!!!
• Great fun would love come to another one next year

A big thanks to Dr Ross Cooper (keynote speaker), The Lord Provost of Fife (who opened our event) and to Anita Govan Dyslexia poet and all the other performers at our event.

Some of the great feedback we received from participants who attended out five free Unique Dyslexic Get Creative workshops:

• I feel happy and more confident
• Good banter and love doing anything creative
• I had fun and enjoyed meeting people like myself / sharing
• Inspired and happy
• Included and free to express myself
• Belonging / idea provoking, included
• Happy and not alone with my dyslexia
• I have really enjoyed it and feel more educated on the technical side of music
• I have enjoyed the experience and learned a lot
• Inspired, tired and full
• Free
• Very confident, able and creative
• Absolutely brilliant and a real sense of achievement
• Amazing!!!
• Relaxed, giggly, calm, happy
• Happy, accepted, therapeutic
• Good de stressing relaxing fun
• Great fun would love to do it again
• Clever and energized
• Good about myself and meeting people like me
• Talkative and creative, more confident talking to others
• Food for thought, included, looking forward, satisfied
• I really feel creative and enjoyed this workshop
• Belonging, satisfied, further alerted to my potential
• I felt celebrated about having dyslexia

So please support our Unique Dyslexic Crowd Funding and enable us to share, support and promote our vision of positive social model of dyslexia.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve McCue

Happy dyslexic / neuro diversity New Year

 

A rare phenomena in the night sky will be seen tonight

Hello everyone

A very rare phenomena will be seen in the night sky tonight. Every planet in our solar system will be visible in the night sky. Happy dyslexic / neuro diversity New Year from me,

Steve Unique Dyslexic McCue

Steve McCue's Unique Dyslexic Eye Blog: A little story of #dyslexic success against the odds.

Steve McCue's Unique Dyslexic Eye Blog: A little story of #dyslexic success against the odds.:   You are not alone Hi blog readers hope you are all feeling #fab I was sent this message through my Linked In a while back . Its a little s...

A little story of #dyslexic success against the odds.

 

You are not alone

Hi blog readers hope you are all feeling #fab

I was sent this message through my Linked In a while back. Its a little story of #dyslexic success against the odds. I thought I would share it with you.

We tend to see stories of famous or rich dyslexics which is cool. But I think every dyslexic's stories is important and should be given a forum. 

I asked if it would be ok to share this in one of my blogs, she agreed and here is it:

"Good afternoon Stephen,

I suffer with dyslexia and I found it hard growing up.

In primary school  both my family and the school said that i was slow and lazy that was why I couldn't read faster than others or spelt simple words incorrect.

Through out high school my teachers turned a blind I to my asks of help. I would write in the margins of by book  that I was struggling with reading and spelling.

I was prodicted E's but I put in so much effort and extra time to complete my GCSE's i came out with C's.

It wasn't till Sixth form that I got some help, the teachers where amazing and helped me with out undermining me. I finally felt I was worth it and the effort I put in to tasks wasn't in vain.

I am happy to say that I am now a business admin. Doing an apprenticeship where I am not struggling and I openly ask for help.

I have wrote this message to say thank you.
I say thank you for being brave and making people aware of dyslexia.

I hope I can be as brave as you.

Thank you again

Kindest  regards

Charlotte"

If anyone else wants to share their dyslexia journey in my blog, anonymously or not, just email it to me as steve_mccue@hotmail.com. 

You can add photos but sent a little description of the photo .

I just think Charlotte had a great positive story to share and thank he for letting me share it here.

I kept the brave bit not because I think I am brave but because I thought she herself was being brave because it couldn't have been easy to share her story with me let alone let me share it in my blog.

#PeaceLoveGroovyness to you all

Steve Unique Dyslexic Eye McCue

Dyslexia, diversity, inclusion, neuro diversity and #vivaladifference

Picture above logos for Dyslexia Pathways CIC, Unique Dyslexic and Social Enterprise Scotland

 
Hi de hi blog readers. I hope you are all well and the world is being good to you.

Just a couple of little blogger hints from me here. I add captions to my photos for people who use text to speech screen readers to make my blog more accessible.

I only wish I could add a screen reader such as browse aloud but so far I have not found a screen reader widget or app that will work in blogger.

I also try and use a dyslexia friendly font. I used Verdana size 12 or 14 together with different background colours to again make my blog more accessible.

Here is a funny dyslexia short story lol I have been calling verdana veranda for ages and wondering why I was getting quizzical looks from people when I talked about fonts. lol.

I only wish I had the time and space to make more audio or visual blogs but they take me such a long time to produce. Its not really a techy issue its remembering a script lol. I think I will make a visual blog next week. 

Being dyslexia friendly can cost next to nothing and has many benefits

There are some easy things dyslexics like myself, people, parents and organisations can do to support people who are dyslexic that cost nothing or very little to  implement.

I personally find staring at a white computer screen and black text quite a strain on the eyes as well as difficult to read. So the hints below are good for all not just for dyslexics.

This includes finding a background colour which is dyslexia friendly. This is a bit trial and error because every dyslexic's dyslexia is unique to the individual so solutions are unique to the individual.

Personally I like the background colour to my blog page but I also like pastel colours like beige, blue or yellow.

Different colour printing paper is also helpful also not only for employees but for customers, clients and trainees.

Changing the font size is also a fabtastic strategy. Personally I like comic sans best but that has gone out of fashion so to speak so now I use verdana but ariel and century gothic are dyslexia friendly fonts. But its finding the font and solutions that work for you that are best and these can be found by trial end error.

Its good for dyslexic employees, good for dyslexic customers, good for business and good for inclusion and a companies reputation. A win win all round and it cost nothing or very little to implement.

It's Christmas so merry Christmas to you all

#PeaceLoveGroovyness from me, Steve #UniqueDyslexicEye McCue, to you all


Dyslexia friendly fonts