Disability Resource Service

1. Disability Resource Service Steve Russell Trained teacher Disability Adult literacy Dyslexia assessor and teacher Associate member of the BDA Team leader Disability Resource Service Level 1 James Hight

2. Your vision of Me In constructing your vision of me You judge me by your standards Standards by which you know you can succeed In my attempts to find the right words You label me stupid, lazy, thick Your words not mine

3. Your vision of Me Within my mind, words are clear It is your desire to have them recorded in ink That fails me Today I may hold optimism But tomorrow it may again slip my grasp I will find a way to escape your world Of the written word Patricia Wardle

4. Your vision of Me • The thing that hurt me so much about school was one of the teachers had the nerve to say to my face that I was so thick that I would amount to nothing! And I believed him. • Reading makes me completely exhausted, my eyes become tired and I get a headache. • My hands won’t do what my brain tells them

5. Your vision of Me • I misread a lot of examination questions but worst of all I did not know why. • If I have work to do at home I get good grades, but it takes me hours and hours with a dictionary to check every word. When it comes to timed work and exams I rarely get a pass.

6. Your vision of Me • Conventional methods of teaching had failed us, but they were still embodied in these classes; spelling tests, reading aloud, writing out spelling rules. Different people need different strategies to learn – it is just a matter of finding which one. • I feel frustrated because in my head are all the right words and ideas, but if I have to write them down I have to find words I can spell and this often doesn’t show what I am thinking.

7. Specific Learning Disability • Dyslexia – Reading and/or writing – Educational Psychologist • Dysgraphia – Handwriting – Educational Psychologist • Dyscalculia – Mathematics – Educational Psychologist • Dyspraxia – Poor motor coordination – Occupational Therapist • ADHD – Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder –Psychiatrist • Clinical overlap is high

8. Specific Learning Disability • Despite separate diagnostic labels clinical overlap is high and pure cases are the exception • Half the Dyslexic population is Dyspraxic and vice versa • Overlap between Dyspraxia and ADHD is 50% • Overlap between Dyslexia and ADHD is 30% with a stronger link to inattention than hyperactivity • Overlap with Autistic Spectrum Disorders but when diagnosed autism takes precedence

9. Specific Learning Disability • Originally dyslexia was identified in the 1870’s and the Greek word dyslexia was used ‘dys’ meaning a difficulty and ‘lexis’ meaning the written word. • This is a simplistic and misleading definition, more recent research has led to complex and scientific definitions of dyslexia.

10. Specific Learning Disability “Dyslexia is a neurologically-based, often familial disorder which interferes with the acquisition of language. Varying the degrees of severity, it is manifested by difficulties in receptive and expressive language, including phonological processing, in reading, writing, spelling, handwriting and sometimes arithmetic.”

11. Specific Learning Disability “Dyslexia is not the result of lack of motivation, sensory impairment, inadequate instructional or environmental opportunities, but may occur together with these conditions. Although dyslexia is life-long, individuals with dyslexia frequently respond successfully to timely and appropriate intervention.” International Dyslexia Association 1994

12. Right-Hemisphere Functions • Alerts us to novelty; tells us when someone is lying or making a joke • Specializes in understanding the whole picture • Specializes in music, art, visual-spatial and/or visual-motor activities • Helps us form mental images when we read and/or converse • Responsible for intuitive and emotional responses • Helps us to form and maintain relationships

13. Left-Hemisphere Functions • Constantly monitors our sequential, ongoing behavior • Responsible for awareness of time, sequence, details, and order • Responsible for auditory receptive and verbal expressive strengths • Specializes in words, logic, analytical thinking, reading, and writing • Responsible for boundaries and knowing right from wrong • Knows and respects rules and deadlines

14. Specific Learning Disability • Have you read your report? • Do you understand what your specific area of weakness is? • Do you know what your strengths are? • Do you understand how that effects your learning? • What strategies do you have to compensate for your spiky profile?

15. What is the Disability Resource Service? • The Disability Resource Service provides study support and specialist resources to students with disabilities. • We aim to ensure that students with any type of disability have equal opportunity and access to academic life at UC by making reasonable accommodations. • We promote self-directed, independent learning.

16. What can DRS do for students? DRS can provide a range of support servicesincluding: • Note-takers and exam reader/writers • Library assistance • Specialist computer hardware and software • Materials in alternative formats • Loan of digital voice recorders

17. Alternative Format Centre • Printed material converted into screen readable text • Audio recordings transcribed into digital text • Photocopying, Scanning & Word-processing • Assistive technologies

18. Disability Resource Service • Contact at enrolment • 364 2987 x6350 • Fill out a learning support questionnaire and provide supporting evidence • Appointment for a comprehensive needs assessment • Learning support plan is developed and sent to departments as necessary

19. Learning Support Plans LSP’s • Summary of supports and resources as a result of needs assessment • Sent to departmental administrators for distribution and implementation • Recommend test/exam special arrangements • Recommend various accommodations