Blog 5
Dyslexia
In my early days of education my dyslexia had not been diagnosed or at the time dyslexia was not thought about as a subject to be discussed. I was known as a disruptive child who could not keep his attention span in the classroom. But I was always inquisitive and good at the practical and the science subjects. As Cameron summarises: Negative sub-discourses as an ‘excuse for stupidity or laziness’ vs Positive sub-discourses ‘Hard-working, intelligent and positivity in the face of adversity’
My parents were not highly educated and come from a working-class background so had very little time with me on the education side.
When I started at the London College of Fashion as a student many years ago, I met a technician who asked me if I was dyslexic as I was struggling to read the handouts provided. I replied to her that I didn’t know the answer to this question as I’ve never had been tested or it never had come into a discussion. As testing was very limited at that time and I didn’t know how I would achieve this I just left it unresolved.
Cyril Burt claimed that “as intelligence was inherited, innate and remained essentially unchanged throughout a person’s life, the results of the 11+ exam could be understood to define a child’s lifelong academic potential. Burt was later revealed to have falsified his data on the heredity of intelligence (Dorfman, 1978) but his ideas have had a lasting effect on the development of the British education system and continue to do so”, but here I am as a non-Caucasian, teaching on a MA and doing a PG Cert!
Through my career I have hidden my dyslexia as I thought I would not get jobs. But little did I know a had created a new gift which were my hands which will allow me to drape, cut patterns and design, so I found a new method which allowed me to work for several fashion houses without having to fill out a cv or application form so I could retain my secret.
I had already presented my Microteaching Workshop, when I came across this relevant article which backs up the pedagogy of a multi-sensory experience for my peers. “Neil Mackay developed the ‘Dyslexia Friendly Schools’ concept in 1998. The key aims of Dyslexia Friendly Schools were to enhance the impact of learning and teaching on the child in the classroom and to ensure that teaching was multi-sensory and benefited all children, not just those with dyslexia….One element of the interview was a request to each interviewee to construct a mind picture or image of what dyslexia represented to him. The results revealed a number of powerful images illustrating both surmountable and insurmountable barriers to learning, together with feelings of confusion and inadequacy”.
When entering the education system as a technician, I discovered that there were many more people with dyslexia and engaging with them I felt safe enough to let them know that I was dyslexic. Now I embrace it as it allows me to think in a non-conventional way and help other students who may have a disadvantage in learning.
The cycle of life is a funny thing, now at LCF I have being tested and diagnosed for dyslexia for the first time in my life.
Reference List
Davies, M. (2022), “The White Spaces of Dyslexic Difference an Intersectional Analysis” Access and Widening Participation in Arts Higher Education: Practice and Research. Aargau: Springer International Publishing, p150, p152
The Open University, Supporting Dyslexia, Inclusive Practice and Literacy, module 2. 1.6. Dyslexia and inclusive practice. Module 1, Section3 Recap. Accessed 22 March 2024) Available at https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=174278
https://nrpatel51.myblog.arts.ac.uk/ Micro teaching Workshop