Are we a dyslexic nation or is it an excuse that we hide behind?

People tend to criticise things that they don’t understand and they run scared of things that seem ‘abnormal’. It is difficult for both children and adults in today’s society to come to terms with being told that they have a learning disability – the fear of judgement from others, the fear of being rejected for a job all because of a ‘learning disability’ it all contributes to a self-confidence crash.

Arguably, children have it hard when finding out that they are in fact not illiterate, they are dyslexic - which is why they struggle with spelling, reading or writing. They need extra resources to help them move forward and in some cases, when dyslexia goes undetected it can cause illiteracy and severe learning difficulties. Not only do they have to cope with finding out that they have a common ‘disability’ but it is made obvious to their peers that they are struggling, which unfortunately leaves them prone to bullying.

I frequently went through my school years thinking that I was incapable of learning and often mentally punished myself for being unintelligent. I used to sit next to my best friend trying to copy her work – not because I could not do the work myself, but because she had such neat writing. It strikes me as being really silly now, I did not often confer with other peers for answers (except in maths – which the less said about at this stage the better) – I just really liked her handwriting. I was envious of how her intelligence seemed tie in neatly and flow through the tip of her Parker pen.

Needless to say, I was one of the ‘lucky’ ones. Nobody even knew that I am dyslexic. Not the other children, nor the teachers and neither did I. In fact, it was not until I was sat in my A-Level Media class and we were given five minutes to read a page – when asked if everyone had finished reading, I was the only person in the class that answered “no” in a chorus of “yes”. It was then, that the first person noticed that I was that little bit slower and found it more difficult to engage in reading than my peers and advised me that when I get to University I go to be tested for dyslexia.

At the age of 20 I have to say that neither the test, nor the results bothered me in the slightest. I have always known that I struggle with reading – black text, white background, forget it. It takes me approximately five minutes just to read through a paragraph because the white is so piercing and bright. I tend to find the nice shade of apple green acetate helps me read at a slightly less than average speed but faster than my normal white with black text speed. Spelling, well I am okay, not brilliant but then who is?

So enough about me and back to my main point. It is now being acknowledged more in classrooms, children appear to be getting more support now than ever, which is great news for whatever statistic the government wants to brandish at dyslexia. Hold on, I seem to be missing out one important thing – the cynics.

There are two parts to our society, those who tolerate and those who do not. Fine. A minority of people are blind sighted by the very thought and understanding around dyslexia and appear to think that it is not a case of children or adults having a legitimate learning disability, and that it is a case of laziness or lack of intelligence. This is simply not the case. Like I said in previous paragraphs, I am dyslexic. I completed GCSEs, A-Levels and received a First Class Honours at University – all because I worked extremely hard. I took no extra help, but it was the knowing about the condition as well as knowing measures that I can use to help myself that made me achieve more than I could ever imagine.

In 2010, BBC Three broadcast a documentary about Kara Tointon (Dawn, Eastenders) and her living with dyslexia. ‘Don’t Call Me Stupid’ was broadcast to raise awareness of dyslexia and how to live with it. It was like looking in the mirror. Like Tointon, I struggle to read books from cover to cover and wish I could experience the same depths of imagination as a non-dyslexic person experiences when they read books. By watching this documentary, I realised that what I have to work through, is what many other people with dyslexia feel too. It helps to know that there are always people out there who are willing to help and advise.

Through the lack of understanding many people dismiss dyslexia too easily. Dyslexia is a broad learning disability that does not affect everyone in the same way – those who live with it, will do so for the rest of their lives – some of who do not realise that they have it. Dyslexia Action say that approximately 10% of the UK population has some form of dyslexia. They also state that ‘it doesn’t affect intelligence but predominately causes difficulties with reading, writing and spelling… The social impact of dyslexia is extensive. If you cannot learn to read, you cannot read to learn and everything we do at school and throughout life requires us to have the skills to be able to access written information. Above and beyond the difficulties and barriers dyslexia presents it is the damage that low self-esteem can have, which is life-long’ (Dyslexia Action, 2010).

So are we a dyslexic nation? Well, like I said in the previous paragraph, 10% of us are. Do we hide behind it as an excuse? No, it is essentially a matter of tolerance and understanding towards those who have it. I will not use the phrase ‘suffer with it’ because it is not necessarily something that we have to suffer with – I certainly did not. Though there are many who do struggle through because the help they need is not as readily available as it should be. If awareness is raised, then we are certainly going in the right direction to help others who are feeling held back by something that should be seen as insignificant to their lives.

To find out more about Dyslexia Action, visit www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk.
Please take a minute to sign a petition for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) to provide mandatory teacher training in dyslexia - to sign, just follow the link: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20674

Over and out.

Weez

It’s like learning a new language…

I know very little about professional writing even though it is plastered around the globe in every corner we turn to. Be it on the Tube or bus, in a newspaper or a novel, the very presence of writing in a 'professional' context is intriguing, yet elaborate. There is so much to think about. 'Will the audience appreciate what I write? Will they even notice that it's there?' - these are two questions that are really the fundamentals of written communication, particularly as we know it.

What is a newspaper without an audience? Who will buy products without effective marketing? Our very economy and existence depends on the art of communication. Written communication is highly understated. 

Earlier this month there was a large buzz generated by the topical debate of adult numeracy – it has been reported that a large portion of adults in the UK struggle with basic mathematics and almost half of the adult population have math skills equating to those of 11-year old school pupils (The Telegraph, 2012). I myself am numerically illiterate – I am unfortunate enough to have dyscalculia and run as far away from numbers as possible – and would love nothing more than to have a firm grasp on the intricacies of mathematics and even the basic understanding of anything numerical. In terms of the responses that have been generated in the media of late, it seems that mathematics and the lack of understanding seem to be more prevalent than a basic grasp of not only the form of written communication, but also the basic concept of the English language.

With technologies and social networking changing at a rapid pace, the desire to use ‘text speak’ and slang appear to be the most commonly used form of a modern language. The use of ‘text speak’ has been adapted over the years, shortening words such as ‘you’ to ‘u’, to a whole new language created by Internet socialites, consisting of letters and numbers such as ‘1337’ (elite). So where do we draw the line?

As the growing Internet communities get younger and we move on from the iPod generation we push boundaries on technologies impacting on the way we use the English language. It is becoming ever apparent that people are incorporating their spoken words into their written language (such as essays or job applications), this will essentially lead to problems when it comes to composing professional letters or emails. So why is literacy being overlooked by professionals?

Maybe it is not just a case of overlooking literacy; maybe it is a case of ignoring requirements and capabilities. Perhaps it boils down to accents – a primary school in Essex was recently in the news regarding elocution lessons for children, it was reported to have benefitted the pupils reflecting in the standards of reading and writing (BBC News – Essex, Feb. 2012). This said, I grew up in a rural part of the country with nothing but fields and farmland – I have a slight accent, but this is not reflected in the way in which I write.


Please take a minute to sign a petition for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) to provide mandatory teacher training in dyslexia - to sign, just follow the link: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20674.