Rose Farnhill (Learner Development Service Adviser and Faculty Link Adviser) Dawn Nicholson (School of Science and the Environment) Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) Training to support the Faculty-wide adoption of recommendations for students with dyslexia (March 2013) 1

Students’ experiences of being dyslexic “I know what I want to say, but I can never find the right word” “I see things from a different perspective” “I’ve got all the right ideas but I can’t get them down onto paper” “It takes me ages to read anything and I can’t remember it even if it read it over and over” 2

What is Dyslexia/SpLD? Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills. It is likely to be present at birth and to be life-long in its effects; not linked to IQ, gender, age, social class It is characterised by difficulties with phonological processing, rapid naming, working memory, processing speed, and the automatic development of skills that may not match up to an individual's other cognitive abilities. (British Dyslexia Association, 2007) 3

Dyslexia / SpLD is identified by: Referral Screening Educational Psychology assessment … and students with dyslexia access institutional support via their Personal Learning Plan 4

Activity 1 How do you think dyslexia will manifest itself in our students, their learning, and their work? 5

Manifestations of dyslexia Common weaknesses are: short-term and working memory, speed of processing, sequencing skills, auditory and /or visual perception, spoken language, motor skills. Common strengths are: good visuospatial skills, creative thinking intuitive understanding problem solving 6

This means that students will take longer (inter alia) to: Read Research Comprehend and extrapolate key information Make notes Order or plan written work Remember and recall information Express their understanding accurately in writing Handwrite Spell Proofread, recognise and amend errors 7

Activity 2 8

The Equality Act 2010 (subsequent to The Disability Discrimination Act 2005) "Where … a provision, criterion or practice … places the disabled person concerned at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with persons who are not disabled… … it is the duty of the employer to take such steps as it is reasonable … in order to prevent the provision, criterion or practice … having that effect.“ 9

Why is dyslexia classed as a disability? A person is classed as being disabled if: “He/she has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.” (Equality Act 2010) Our context is education, specifically teaching and learning. 10

Negotiated deadlines Extra time in exams Loan period The new process Reasonable adjustments are provided ‘as standard’ for all students CRO Exams Officer Library Academic staff Disclosure Assessment Info sheet Circulation of list Reasonable adjustments

Embedding reasonable adjustments as standard Information sheet for staff and students, includes: Reasonable adjustments Student responsibilities Resources, people to contact Working with the library Inclusive practice is really all about developing policies and practices that reduce barriers to learning and participation for all students (Fuller et al. 2004, Williams and Quinn 2007) 12

Activity 3: PLP recommendations 13 Identify issues and challenges Suggest strategies, solutions for embedding ‘as standard’ 1. Extra time (25%) given for timed in-class tests (e.g. timed computer, lab and practical tests) 2. Engage with students in re-negotiating coursework deadlines (for reasons related to a students’ disability) where necessary 3. Learning materials and resources provided in electronic format and 48h in advance of session

Useful Links PLP Pilot Project (as above  PLPs) guidelines/plpproject/index.php Centre for Learning and Teaching  Support for Teaching  Supporting Disabled Students celt.mmu.ac.uk/disability_guidelines/ind ex.php Learner Development Service mmu.ac.uk/learnerdevelopment British Dyslexia Association bdadyslexia.org.uk Dyslexia Action dyslexiaaction.org.uk/ 14

Here to help: How to contact the Learner Development Service Learner Development Service Employability Hub Business School and Student Hub All Saints Campus Oxford Road Manchester M15 6BH

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LDS Evaluation of Service Each year the LDS surveys various stakeholders in our service, including academic staff. May we take this opportunity to ask you to visit the following site: To provide us with your feedback by Friday 29 th June 2012? 17