"If the student cannot learn the way we teach, can we teach the way in which the student learns?" Professor Peter Pumfrey
This question goes to the heart of the issue considered by a two day conference on Dyslexia in Higher Education &endash; Future Directions, which was held in Trinity College Dublin on 22nd and 23rd of June 1999. The conference was attended by over 150 delegates from the third level sector and provided a platform on which to consider the challenges faced by the third level sector in ensuring access and participation of students with dyslexia in third level.
The last decade has seen a significant increase in the number of students with dyslexia applying to and participating in third level education. While accurate statistics on participation rates in the Irish context are not readily available, a survey undertaken by the National Working Party on Dyslexia in Higher Education in the UK indicated that approximately 1.3% of students in higher education have dyslexia. Significantly the same research also highlights the fact that 50% of students with dyslexia in the UK are diagnosed after entry into third level.
As an invisible disability, dyslexia is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. The presentation presented by Dr Alan Sayles of ACLD provided a clear and effective overview of the nature of dyslexia, its origins, manifestations and diagnosis. While research continues as to the cause of dyslexia, it is clearly defined as a distinct, neurological syndrome, independent of intelligence which does not discriminate by race, culture or social class. While dyslexia is individual to each person, people with dyslexia usually experience problems with written language in the areas of reading, writing, spelling and sometimes arithmetic. While providing a comprehensive overview of the difficulties associated with dyslexia, Dr Sayles emphasised the necessity to recognise dyslexia not as a difficulty or disability but to focus on responding to dyslexia in a positive way through the development of flexibility in teaching styles.
Having reviewed existing and developing research on dyslexia, the conference considered extensively how institutions can address the challenges of dyslexia amongst students with disabilities. Prof Peter Pumfrey outlined the work of the National Working Party on Dyslexia in Higher Education in the UK, and in particular highlighted the finding of the National Survey undertaken as part of the work of the National Party. The presentations by Dr Joan McQuoid and Dr Jean Whyte outlined the models of support in place in the University of Ulster and Trinity College for students with dyslexia. The conference was also addressed by three students whose varied experiences highlighted clearly both the positive impact of effective support structures and the academic and personal cost to the student in the absence of staff awareness and effective support structures.
National and institutional policies on dyslexia are required in higher education. At a national level, there is a need for a clear commitment to resourcing support services, the development and monitoring of assessment services and the provision of awareness and teaching support in higher education institutions. While acknowledging that many higher education institutions have an overall policy on disability in higher education, additional attention must be focused on developing policy which responds specifically to the issues arising for students with dyslexia. Such policy would include admission, examinations, assessment and support services, staff training and awareness, counselling services and careers services.
The fact that the UK figures suggest that 50% of students with dyslexia in third level education are assessed as dyslexic after entry to higher education raises specific challenges for higher education institutions. The problems of identifying and assessing students with dyslexia in third level education are significant, given the shortage of educational psychologists within the sector, and the absence of any funding to support assessment costs. Additionally the nature of reports are often such that they are difficult to comprehend and can be of limited value to teaching and support staff seeking to identify and implement support services for students. As part of the assessment process it is necessary to ensure that students where necessary have an opportunity to access counselling services following an initial diagnosis of dyslexia. At an individual level specific students may require personal counselling following diagnosis, in supporting self advocacy by students, and in providing ongoing assessment and support for the students in the learning program which may include study skills, problem solving skills, and alternative approaches to learning. The role of counselling in supporting career choice is also required within the context of career options and career planning for students with dyslexia.
There is a clear need to encourage and support the development of the flexible teaching methodologies at third level. The issue of flexible and effective teaching is linked to staff awareness training which is critical to the development of an inclusive education system. Such training must be supported and undertaken at senior managerial level, by tutors, academics and lecturing staff. The following issues specifically were identified as necessary elements of that training:
The provision of alternative examination arrangements is one of the central supports required by students with dyslexia. In particular the following accommodations were identified as relevant to students with dyslexia:
The recently introduced Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000 will both recognise dyslexia as a disability under the terms of the legislation, and will, albeit weakly, provide protection for students against discriminatory practices on the basis of disability. The potential for students with dyslexia and other disabilities to seek recourse through legislation is increasingly likely and the examination by Dr Gerry Whyte of existing and proposed Irish legislation outlined the responsibilities of Higher Education Institutions under existing and proposed legislation. Legislation is not only a mechanism to prevent discrimination but also acts as a mechanism to mediate between promoting and achieving equal opportunities and the maintenance of academic standards. Dr Gerard Quinn's paper provided an assessment of litigation involving students with disabilities against American universities and clearly illustrates that the principle of reasonable accommodations towards students with disabilities is now widely accepted. Notwithstanding this the case law equally illustrates that accommodation will not be provided where a claimant is not otherwise qualified to undertake a course of study or where an accommodation might undermine the integrity of a programme. An examination of the US experience reinforces the need for clear institutional policy and the individual responsibilities of teachers, heads of department etc. in implementing institutional policy.
One of the key issues highlighted by Dr Brendan Goldsmith and indeed many delegates to the conference was the need for targeted funding to be available to support higher education institutions in responding to the individual needs of students with dyslexia. While students with dyslexia in the current academic year have successfully accessed funding for support services through the Department of Education and Science Special Fund for Students with Disabilities, no students with dyslexia have received funding to support the purchase of adaptive technology. While technology is not an appropriate support for all students with dyslexia, the impact of technology for some students is profound. The account outlined below of a student presenting at the recent conference organised by the Central Remedial Clinic; Human Factors in the Delivery of Adaptive Technology Services held in February 2000 highlights the potential impact of technology on the learning process for students with disabilities:
"Since I received the technology my life has become incredibly easier. The Kurtzweil 3000 reads the material I need out to me…now instead of 3-4 hours it takes me 45 minutes to an hour..the dragon naturally speaking also saves me time as usually I spend so much time concentrating on my spelling that I lose my train of thought and cannot focus on the correct way to spell my words…The pressure that I was under is practically gone…For the first time in my life I’m interested and excited about reading and I’m realising how restricted I was…"
The conference held last year was a significant development in beginning to formulate policy at institutional and national level on dyslexia in higher education. The issues are complex and challenging and will require the commitment of resources centrally and locally in supporting the development of assessment services, staff awareness and provision of support services. It is hoped that the current Higher Education Authority/AHEAD research on Disability Provision in Higher Education Institutions will provide an effective basis for the collation of the current situation in the Irish context and the basis for policy development. The issue is one of urgency and must be a priority in moving forward. As stated by Prof Peter Pumfrey "No country can afford the waste that occurs when high ability is obscured by the adverse and cumulative effects of dyslexia on a students attainments and motivation".
The Report of the National Working Party on Dyslexia in Higher Education (UK), edited by Prof. Chris Singleton, is available from the Department of Psychology at the University of Hull Price: £15.00