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Re: Dyslexic Students |
I HAVE ONLY JUST SPOTTED THIS POST ON THE FORUM, HENCE THIS RATHER TARDY REPLY. I HAVE A NEPHEW WHO IS DYSLEXIC, BUT HAS A FIRST DEGREE IN ART AND AN MA. THE FACT THAT HE HASN'T GOT A JOB IS DOWN MORE TO HIS ATTITUDE THAN THE DYSLEXIA. COULD IT BE THAT WE THINK THERE ARE MORE DYSLEXIC STUDENTS ABOUT THAN THERE USED TO BE BECAUSE WE HAVE BECOME MORE AWARE OF IT. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS DYSLEXIA - AND MANY OTHER CONDITIONS, FOR THAT MATTER - WAS SUMMED UP BY THE MOTHER (PLAYED BY THORA HIRD ) IN ONE OF ALAN BENNETTS PLAYS WHO SAYS TO HER SON "THERE WEREN'T NO DYSLEXIA WHEN YOU WERE AT SCHOOL - YOU SAT AT THE BACK AND DID RAFFIA!" AS SOMEONE WHO SUFFERS FROM A SPEECH DEFECT, I RECOGNISE THE SCENARIO - AT SCHOOL IN THE 1950'S, ALL OF US WHO WERE IN ANY WAY "DIFFERENT" WERE REGARDED AS "BACKWARD" AND MY MOTHER LIVED IN FEAR OF ME BEING SENT TO THE "SPECIAL SCHOOL" WHERE THE "DAFT" KIDS WENT - SO, NO, I DON'T THINK THERE IS MORE DYSLEXIA ABOUT, JUST THAT WE ARE MORE AWARE OF IT. MY FIRST BOSS WHEN I STARTED IN THE CAREERS SERVICE IN THE 1970'S REGARDED DYSLEXIA AS A MIDDLE - CLASS EXCUSE FOR THEIR CHILDREN NOT BEING VERY CLEVER - MIND YOU, HE ONCE TOLD ME THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A STAMMER, WHEN I MANIFESTLY DID AND DO, AND HE GOT (METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING!) BOTH BARRELS.
COLIN MARSH |
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| Wed Nov 25th, 2009 11:26 a.m. |
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