The Good Practice Guide - dyslexia-malvern.co.ukdyslexia-malvern.co.uk/docs/justice/Offending and...

OffendingE-learning and Dyslexia: The Good Practice Guide

By Melanie Jameson for the Adult Dyslexia Organisation

E- Enabling Offender Learning and Skills

2007

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Offending, E-learning and Dyslexia: The Good Practice Guide

by the Adult Dyslexia Organisation

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION to the Adult Dyslexia Organisation and to the Guide, 2

1. Dyslexia, Offending and ICT 4

2. TheIdentificationofDyslexiainOffenderSettings 10

3. PrinciplesofSupportingLearnerswithDyslexia 16

4. SupportforNumeracyandESOL 23

5. SpecialistTechnologiesandSupportinE-learning 30

6. ADyslexia-friendlyLearningEnvironment 38

7. DisabilityLegislation 43

8. ICTinResettlementandEmployment 46

9. SpotlightonGoodPractice 53

SKILLS CHECK: Strategies for a successful e-learning environment 57

10.ResourceBank: 59

a) AdultDyslexiaOrganisationRevisedChecklist 60

b) ChecklistforVisualStress 62

c) ProjectsonDyslexiaandOffending 63

d) Dyslexia&DisabilityNetworks 65

e) Resources&Publications 68

f) SpecialistTechnologies 72

g)AdditionalLearningSupport 74

• AlthoughDyslexiaisthemainfocusofthisGuide;thereisalsoinformationonDyspraxia/DevelopmentalCo-ordinationDisorder,AttentionDeficitDisorderandDyscalculia.

• PleasenotethatreferencestotheOffender’s Learning Journeyrelatetotheversionproducedin2004

• Contacttheauthoron:[email protected]

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Offending, E-learning and Dyslexia: The Good Practice Guide

INTRODUCTION TO THE ADULT DYSLEXIA ORGANISATION

TheAdultDyslexiaOrganisation(ADO)isanationalorganisation,withwiderconcerns,runbydyslexicsforadultswithdyslexiaandallthoseconcernedwiththem.ADOadvises,supportsandempowersdyslexicadults,takingaccountoftheirparticularandverydifferentneeds.Itprovidesawiderangeofservicestothepublicandtoprofessionals,supportedbyspecialistconsultantsinavarietyofdisciplinessuchaseducation,employment,policydevelopment,e-learningandInformation&CommunicationTechnologies(ICT).

Priortoitsestablishmentin1991,therewasnospecificvoiceforthelargenumberofadultswithdyslexia–estimatedtobe4%ofthepopulationseverelydyslexic(nearly3millionadults),withafurther6%whoshowsomesignsofdyslexia.

Asfarasweknow,ADOremainstheonlyuser-lednationaldyslexiaorganisationoperatinginEurope.Ithandlesnumerousinquiriesfromadultdyslexics,theirfamilies,professionalsandofficialbodies.Byworkingwithgovernmentdepartments,majororganisations,TradeUnions,educatorsandemployers,ADOworkstoensurerealchangethataffectsthelivesofadultswithdyslexia.ADOhaswrittendefinitiveguidelinesondyslexiafornationalorganisationsandstrivestoensurethatdyslexiaisrecognisedandindividualssupported.Theaimoftheorganisationistodemonstratethat‘user-friendlyfordyslexicscanbeuser-friendlyforeveryone!’.

TO CONTACT ADO:Email:[email protected]: 02072073911Website:adult-dyslexia.org

INTRODUCTION TO THIS GUIDE

Thispublicationisapracticalguideforanyoneworkingwithoffendersinane-learningsetting.Researchindicatesthataconsiderableproportionoftheoffendingpopulationfacedifficultiesduetodyslexiaandrelatedconditions,andareunlikelytomakeprogresswithoutappropriatesupport.Anunderstandingofhowtheseconditionsaffectadultsineducationandtrainingandwhatmethodologiesaremosteffective,willenableyoutohelpyourlearnerstackletheirdifficultiesandmasterICTskills.Fortunatelyadyslexia-friendlyapproachisalsobeneficialforother learners.

E-learninghasbeendescribedasICTskills+learningcontent.ThisGuidewillexaminetheelementsofICTandlearningcontentseparately,inadditiontotheconsiderationofe-learninginoffendersettingsandappropriateassistive/specialisttechnologies.

A‘goodpractice’sectionhighlightswhatcanbeachieved;thereisguidanceonmeetingyourobligationsunderdisabilitylegislationandtherequirementsoftheOffender’sLearningJourney.TheResourceBankincludeschecklistsandinformationontechnologicaltools,networksanduseful organisations.

3”“

TheLeitchReviewhashighlightedtheskillsshortfallthatstillhandicapsoureconomy:§overathirdofadultsintheUKdonothaveabasicschool-leavingqualification–doublethe

proportionofCanadaandGermany§fivemillionpeoplehavenoqualificationsatall§oneinsixadultsdonothavetheliteracyskillsexpectedofan11yearoldandhalfdonot

havetheselevelsoffunctionalnumeracy.Offenders,especiallythosewithdyslexiaandrelatedspecificlearningdifficulties,willbeover-representedintheabove.

Atthesametime,thenewSkillsforLifeICTCurriculumhasraisedtheprofileofthisessentialskill,withtheaimsof:§LinkingtothepurposefuluseofICTineverydaylife§Emphasisingtransferableskills§Fosteringcriticaljudgement§PreparinglearnersforthefutureCanthisapproachsucceedwhereothershavefailed?

ThisGuidehasbenefitedfromaconsultationprocess.ItispartoftheAdultDyslexiaOrganisation’sE- Enabling Offender Learning and Skills (EEOLS) Project.InformationonotherEEOLSprojectscanbefoundon: www.offenderlearning.net

EEOLSProjectManagerandCheifExecutiveoftheAdultDyslexiaOrganisation Donald Scloss

Author Profiles

Melanie Jameson worksasadyslexiaconsultant,trainerandassessor;herspecialinterestsarevisualstress,offendersandpromotingdyslexicstrengths.

E.A. DraffantrainedasaSpeechandLanguageTherapistbuthasbecomeknownforherworkwithdyslexiaandassistivetechnologyatTechDis.

ThankstoJulie SweetingofMedwayDyslexiaAssociationforherhelpandadvice.

ThankstoTom Pittsfordesign,typesettingandillustration.

All dyslexic people need a more dyslexia friendly environment in which to operate and this Guide contains a wealth of information and ideas to help any tutor or trainer, no matter what their level of knowledge, to explore and evaluate dyslexia friendly approaches and technology which can really make a difference to a dyslexic person’s life.

The guide is always positive and seeks to show paths to success rather than dwell on difficulties. It’s going to be a useful resource for people working with offenders.

Jenny Lee, National Adult Dyslexia Coordinator, Dyslexia Action

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1 DYSLEXIA, OFFENDING AND ICT1 DYSLEXIA,OFFENDINGANDICT

This section explores the nature of dyslexia and the issue of dyslexia and offending behaviour. The challenges and opportunities of ICT in prison and probation settings are introduced.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexiaisdescribedasa‘familyofdifficulties’whichvaryfrompersontopersonwithinarecognisablepattern.Itischaracterisedbyinherentinefficiencyinprocessinglanguage-basedinformation.There is usually lateness in learning to readandpoorspelling,aweakshort-termmemory,disorganisationandpoortimemanagement.Difficultiessequencingandstructuringinformationarecommon.Somepeoplewithdyslexiaconfuseleft/rightandhaveproblemswithorientation.Somehaveword-findingproblemsorexperienceaslightdelaybetweenhearingwhatissaidandunderstanding it.

Dyslexiacanalsoaffectnumeracy;thefollowingarekeyareasofdifficulty:

• acquiringbasicnumeracyskills,suchasdivision

• workingout/retainingmulti-partcalculations

• rememberingmathematicalfacts• distinguishingmathematicalsymbols,

e.g.+x• understandingmathematical

language,suchasratios• conceptualunderstanding,suchas

negativenumbers• confidenceandmotivation.

Peoplewithdyslexiaareoftenseenasinconsistent,becausetheirabilitytocopecanvarysignificantlyonadaytodaybasis.

Dyslexiaisindependentofintelligence,raceandsocialbackground.Althoughpreviouslythoughttoaffectmoremalesthanfemales,isinfactequallyprevalentinbothsexes.Itisestimatedthatdyslexiaaffects4%ofthe

populationseverely,afurther6%showsomedyslexiccharacteristics.However,asthenextsectionreveals,theincidenceisthoughttobefarhigheramongsttheoffendingpopulation.

Theconditionhasaphysicalbasis,i.e.thebrainsofpeoplewithdyslexiacanbedifferenttothoseofnon-dyslexics,bothanatomicallyandinthewaytheyfunction.Inrecentyearstheadvantagesthiscanconferhavebeenhighlighted-awelcomebalancetothe‘deficitmodel’.

Whataretheseadvantages?Skillsassociatedwithdyslexiaincludeanenhancedabilitytovisualise;innovativethinkingandcreativity;lateralproblemsolvingskills;intuitiveunderstandingofhowthingsworkandanabilitytoseethebiggerpicturetogetherwithanawarenessofunexpectedlinks,associationsandapplications.Arangeofdefinitions,theoreticalbasesapproachestosupportareoutlinedinAFrameworkforUnderstandingDyslexiaDfES(2004).

Itismostimportanttostressthattheareasofabilityanddisabilityvaryfrompersontoperson,forexample,somepeoplewithdyslexiahaveexcellentoralskillswhereasothersfindspokenself-expressiondifficult.Anassessmentoftheindividuallearningprofileisthereforeaprerequisitetoofferingtargetedsupporttothosewhocomeintoeducationandtraining.

Specific Learning Difficulties

AlthoughthefocusofthisGuideisdyslexia,weshallalsoconsiderthree

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otherconditionswhichoftenco-existoroverlapwithit:Dyspraxia –alsoknownasDevelopmentalCo-ordinationDisorder(DCD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Dyscalculia.Theumbrellaterm-specificlearningdifficulties(SpLDs)– is often used to refer to these related conditions,althoughsomeexpertsregardthisasreferringmoretochildrenratherthanadultswhomaynolongerbeengagedinlearning.Theterm‘hiddendisability’issometimesusedinformally.

There is now sufficient research to recognise that these conditions are not compartmentalised and the needs of the individual need to be addressed rather than simply looking at labels alone. Future research specifically in forensic settings needs to identify levels of specific learning difficulties in all sectors of the prison and the implications of these findings. This is essential in order for appropriate rehabilitation packages to be designed and the outcomes of these measured.(IdentificationandImplicationofSpecificLearningDifficultiesinaPrisonPopulation,DyscoveryCentreresearchpaper,2005)

Itisimportanttounderstandhowtheseconditionsaffectpeopleinadulthood–boththewayinwhichtheyoperatecertainskillsandhowtheycanbedisadvantaged.PossibleimplicationsofSpLDswithinthecriminaljusticesystemarehighlightedonthefollowingpage.

Ithasbeenarguedthatpeoplewithdamagedself-esteemareinitiallyunabletotakeadvantageoflearningopportunitiesbecauseoftheirexpectationoffailure.Thisisverytrueofmanypeoplewithdyslexia.Hopefully,agreaterunderstandingoftheconditionandanincreasein‘dyslexia-friendly’toolswillenableoffenderswithdyslexiaandrelateddifficultiestomakebetterprogressanddevelopusefulskillsthat

willopenmoredoorstothemonrelease.

TheissueofIdentificationofspecificlearningdifficultiesistakenupinthenextchapter;SupportisthefocusofChapters3,4&5.

Is there a link between dyslexia and offending behaviour?

Itisimportanttostatethatdyslexiadoesnotcauseoffendingbehaviour.Howevertheredoesseemtobeanindirectlinkbetweenunaddressed dyslexia and offending. This isexplainedbyJoMatty,magistrateanddyslexiaexpert,asfollows:“Whendyslexicsexperiencelackofappropriatesupportfromtheearlyyearsofeducation,thiscanleadto• poorliteracyandnumeracyskills• lackofconfidenceandlowselfesteem• boredom,disaffection• frustration,anger• behaviouralproblems• truantingorexclusionfromschool• pooremploymentprospectsallofwhichplaytheirpartintheclimateofoffending.”

Anotherconsiderationistheescalationfrom‘gettingintotrouble’toacustodialsentenceinthecontextofdyslexia.Childrenwithdyslexiaaremorelikelytofindschooldifficultthantheirpeersandarethereforemorelikelytotruant.Manypeoplewhotruanttendtogetintolowleveldifficultieswithpolice.Whenpoliceinvestigate,akeycriterionis‘gettingthestorystraight’butmanyoftheseyoungpeoplefinditdifficulttoremembertheorderordateofevents,sotheinformationtheyprovideappearsinconsistentandunreliable,consequentlytheyaremorelikelytoendupbeingprosecuted.Thechart:ImplicationsofSpecificLearningDifficultieswithintheCriminalJusticeSystem,showshowpeoplewiththesedifficultiescanbedisadvantaged.

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Implications of Specific Learning Difficulties within the Criminal Justice System DIFFICULTIES POSSIBLEIMPLICATIONS

PoorreadingskillsReadingaggravatedby‘visualstress’i.e.printseemstobecomedistortedduringreading

Unabletocopewithwritteninformationsuchasnotices,rules,officialletters,checkingastatementandpersonalcommunicationsAvoidanceoftraining/educationoptions

Weak/erraticspelling

Awkwardhandwriting

Cannotrespondtowrittencommunications

Illegiblewriting

Aweakshort-termmemory ForgetsinformationconveyedorallyDoesnotretaininstructions

Difficultytakingininformation Frustration,anger.Misunderstandsoronlygetspartofthepicture(leadingtodisciplineprocedures).Mayneed‘thinkingtime’beforegivingaresponse

Difficultyexpressingmeaningorally Mayappearevasive,uncooperative

Sequencingproblems Getsthingsinthewrongorder(proceduresorwhenrelatingaseriesofevents).

Left/rightconfusionanddisorientation MakesmistakeswhenreferringtoleftandrightEasilybecomeslostinunfamiliarsurroundings

Misinterpretingsituations/instructions/body language

Appearsuncooperativeorcheeky

Shortattentionspan Unabletopayattentionforsustainedperiodssobecomesoverloadedand“switchesoff”.

Highlevelsofdistractibility Distractedbysounds,sights,thoughts-maydistractorannoy others.Maybeveryrestlessandfidgety.

Poor organisation

Poortimemanagement

Failstoturnupattherightplace,attherighttimeorontherightdaywiththerightpapers.

PoorestimationofhowlongsomethingtakesInabilitytoprioritise

Clumsiness Toldoffforknockingthingsover,trippinguporbumpingintoothers.Antagonisespeople.

Low self esteem, lack of confidence Inability to acquire new skills and benefit from new opportunities.

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Acombinationofthesefactorsmayhaveledtoafailuretocomplywithprobationprogrammesandprocedures,leadingtoacustodialsentence.Educationandtrainingoptionsmaywellbeavoided.Furtherfactors,suchassubstancemisuse,willalsoaffectbehaviourandmemory.

In2005,inthesameyearthattheprisonpopulationreached75,000,researchfundedbytheLearningandSkillsCouncilinpartnershipwithDyslexiaActioninvestigatedtheincidenceofHiddenDisabilitiesacrossawiderangeofinstitutions.(SeeResourceBank,SectionC,Project15.)Notsurprisingly,justoverhalf(52%)werefoundtohaveliteracydifficultiesbut20%wereidentifiedashavingahiddendisability,affectinglearningandemployment,suchasdyslexia,dyspraxiaandattentiondeficitdisorder.Thiscurrently(2007)calculatesatroughlysixteenthousandoffenders-whenoffendersonnon-custodialsentencesareincluded,thenumbersmorethandouble.

Asecondstudy,lookingatyoungoffendersalone,recordedthatalmostathirdofthesampleshowedsignsofdyslexia.PracticalSolutionstoIdentifyingDyslexiainJuvenile OffendersisProject13intheinventoryofrecentstudiesandprojectsincludedinSectionCoftheResourceBankattheendof this Guide.

TheimplicationsofthousandsofoffenderswithdyslexiaarefarreachingforNationalOffenderManagementService(NOMS)andHomeOfficetargetstogetex-offendersintowork-basedtrainingandemployment.TheAdultDyslexiaOrganisationmaintainsthat,unlessdyslexicdifficultiesandlearningdifferencesaretakenintoaccount,effortstoreduceoffendingbehaviourandincreaseemployabilitywillbeseriouslyundermined.

Overcrowdingaddstothechallengesofaddressingthedyslexicdifficultiesof

offenders.Trainingandeducationaredisruptedasprisonersareincreasinglymovedaround;learningdocumentationstillfailstofollowthelearnersystematically.HopefullythisisbeingaddressedbytheIndividualLearningPlan(ILP)database.

ICT provision in offender settings

TheOffender’sLearningJourneydescribeswhye-learningisimportant:Many offenders are demotivated by traditional learning and are unwilling to participate in traditional classroom environments where learning materials are paper-based…..E-learning has already been successful in engaging offenders who are not willing to take part in traditional learning.(Section10DistanceLearning,Resource-basedLearningande-Learning)

SomeoftheICTprovisioninprisonsandprobationhasbeenvialearndirectinEuropeanSocialFund(ESF)PathwaysprojectsandinPrisonICTAcademies(PICTA).Feedbackechoesthemotivatingeffectofthesecoursesonlearnerswiththemostseverelearningproblems(thisislikelytoincludeindividualswithdyslexia).TheEuropeanComputerDrivingLicencehasprovedtobeparticularlypopular.SeveralinnovativeapproacheshavebeentrialledinthePathwaysinitiative,suchastheappointmentofcertain‘lifers’asmentorstofellowprisoners,withthetitlelearndirectorderlies.Inaddition,learndirectsoftwarehasbeenpraisedforitsaccuracyinassessingbasicskillslevelsandassistingwithrecordkeeping.

Initialproblems,suchasalackofpowerpointsonthewings,havebeenlargelyovercomebytheuseoflaptops.Thesecurityissueofinternetaccesscanberesolvedbysurfcontrolsoftware(internetexplorerlinkingsolelytowww.learndirect.com, for

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example)andthecarefulinstallationofonlytherequiredprogramsintoeachindividuallearningaccount.CDRomsareanothersolutiontocopingwiththerequirementsofthisuniquelearningenvironment(suchastheoffenderNationalLearningNetworkmaterials).GuidanceisissuedbytheICTSecurityTeam,inlinewiththeSecurityAssurancePolicy.EvaluationsofPathwayprogrammeshavestressedtheneedforagoodtechnicalsupportworkerandtheimportanceofenthusiasmamongstprisonofficers-inordertoengageprisonstaff,theyhavealsobeenencouragedtoenrolone-learningcoursestoimprovetheirskills.

Theoffenderlearningwebsite,launchedOctober2006,isakeyon-lineresourcetosupportthedevelopmentofe-learning.Seewww.offenderlearning.net.Atthesametime,£2millionwasallocatedto49e-learningoffenderprojectswhichdemonstrateinnovativeapproachestoupskillingstaffandoffenders,describedasaprogressive programme to support and encourage the use of e-learning in Offender Learning & Skills .Finally,atthetimeofgoingtopress,aLondon-widepilotofPOLARIS(PrisonOffenderLearningandResettlementInformationSystem)isbeinglaunched.E-learningisontheagendatostay!

CaseStudyKarenwrites:IwasrubbishatschoolsoIstoppedgoing.Istartedbunkingoffandnickingstuffthenmeandmymatesgotintodrugs.IseemedtobereallythickbutI’vealwayslovedscribblingdesignsandamintofashionandhairstylingandallthat.AnywayprobationsentmetoalearndirectcentrewhereIdidsomeliteracyandICTcourses.OnceIgotgoing,IfoundtheywerereallygoodandnowIcanscaninmydesignsandmessaroundwiththemtillI’vegotthemright.AtleastIknowI’mnotstupidandI’mhopingtodoaFashionDesigncourseoneday.

Issues raised by education and training staff

TheseICTande-learninginitiativesareencouragingbutmanychallengesremain.WhencanvassedbytheAdultDyslexiaOrganisation,staffexpressedarangeofconcernsrelatingtoexpertise,funding,accessibilityofe-learningandprisonconditions,namely:• Learnersareencouragedtodeclare

difficultiesanddisabilitiesbutstaffoftenhavenotrainingonhowtofollowthisup

• Evenifwescreenfordyslexia,thereisnottheoptionofanassessmentatourprison

• Itisdifficultandcostlytogetstafftogether for training (sessional staff are notpaidforextratravelcostsnorforattendance)

• Staffturnoverishighsowekeepneedingtoputonmoresessions(andfacetheaboveproblem)

• Thereisnotthefundingforstaffdevelopment

• Wecannotgetholdofappropriatetutortrainersinspecificlearningdifficulties

• Trainingisneededonhowtodealwiththeemotionalissuesthatcansurroundareturntoeducation

• ManystaffareretiredteachersintheirlatefiftieswhodonotnecessarilyhavegoodICTskills

• Thereisapoorunderstandingofwhatassistivetechnologyisallaboutandhowtodecidebetweensimilartechnologies

• Somecoursesarenotdyslexia-friendlyintheirmethodologyandtheirtesting

• Notalle-learningcourseshaveaccessibilityoptions;inthecaseofthosethathave–theoptionsmaynotsuitthelearner

• Untilthestatusofeducationandtrainingisraised,manyoffenderscontinuetochoosebetterpaid‘jobs’suchascleaningoroutsidecontracts.

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Despitethechallenges,theGovernmentiscommittedtoextendinge-learningincustodialandcommunitysettingsasakeycomponentofestablishinganintegratedserviceforoffenders.E-learningcanhelpensurecontinuityoflearningbetweendifferentpartsofthesentenceandafterreleasefromcustodyintothecommunity,sohelping……..to create a seamless and coherent service.(Offender’sLearningJourney,IntroductiontoSection10)

OneusefulinitiativeisNIACEE-Guidestraining,whichisdesignedtoenablestaffinvolvedinadultlearningtodeveloptheiruseofe-learningacrossthecurriculumandincreasetheirICTskills.Thefollowingdefinitionofe-learningisused:learning supported or enhanced through the application of Information and Communications Technology(E-learningStandardsLifelongLearningUK).

q giventheirnegativeexperiencesofschooling,offenderswithdyslexiamaywellavoidanythingreminiscentofmainstreameducation

q e-learningpilotshavebeenmetwithgreatenthusiasm

q thegovernmentiscommittedtoexpandinge-learning,integratingcustodialandnon-custodialprovision

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2 THE IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES IN OFFENDER SETTINGS 2 THEIDENTIFICATIONOFSPECIFICLEARNINGDIFFICULTIESINOFFENDERSETTINGS

Identifying a specific learning difficulty is the first step to providing appropriate support. Assessments of areas of strength and difficulty will inform support for education, training and e-learning.

Potential dyslexia indicators should be identified and formal dyslexia assessments should be carried out if required. An effective system for identifying potential dyslexia should be in place and in use. (ServicerequirementsoftheOffender’sLearningJourney,Section2:AssessingtheLearner’sNeeds.)

Giventhelikelynumbersofoffenderswithdyslexiaandrelatedconditions,itisclearlyadvantageoustoidentifythemasearlyaspossibleinthesentence.Thisprocesscouldbeintegratedintoliteracyandnumeracyinductionprogrammes,or–betterstill–takeplaceatthepre-sentencereportstage.Identificationoflearningneedsgenerallybeginswithscreening;thiscanbepaper-basedorcomputerised.Howeveranumberofchallengesarise,notleastarelackofexpertise,under-staffingandinadequatefunding.

Theconceptof‘screening’impliesthatthosewhoshowacertainnumberofindicatorsareregardedas‘screeningpositive’andinneedofafullassessmenttoconfirmorruleoutthecondition.Inthecaseofdyslexia,manyofthebasicskillsscreeningmaterialspilotedinprisonsintheearlydaysofSkillsforLifedidnothaveadyslexiascreeningcomponent.DyslexiadiagnosticassessmentmaterialswerelatercommissionedbuttheserelatesolelytotheSkillsforLiferemitofbasicskills.Tofurthercomplicatematters,theterm‘diagnosticassessment’asusedwithinSkillsforLife,doesnotequatewiththeacceptedmeaningofthetermi.e.anexplorationofallaspectsofcognitivefunctioninginordertoobtainapictureoftheindividual’sareasofstrengthandweakness.

Atthetimeofgoingtopress(Spring2007)newtoolshavebeendevelopedbytheSkillsforLifeStrategyUnit;thesearedescribedasscreeningtools(skillscheck)andinitialassessmenttoolsforliteracyandnumeracy,coveringalllevelsuptoandincludinglevel2.Theyhavebeentrialledinprisons.Howeverthereisnosystematicprovisionofassessmentsforoffenderswhocomeontoeducationscreeningpositivefordyslexia,letaloneforthefargreaternumbersthatonewouldexpect,statistically,toshowupaspositivebutwhochoosetosteerwellclearofclasses.Therangeofspecificlearningdifficultieswhichoverlapwithdyslexiahavereceivedevenlessattention,eventhoughtheymayactuallyhaveagreaterimpactonanti-socialbehaviour.Researchsuggeststhatindividualswithdifficultiesinsocialandcommunicationskillsmaybemoredisadvantagedbecausetheyfailtopickupsocialcuesandmisinterpretinstructions.Maladaptivebehaviourcandevelop;whenthey get into trouble (for reasons they do notunderstand)responsesoffrustration,angerorviolencearecommon.Intermsofeducationandemployment,thisbehaviourbecomesmoreproblematicthanliteracyandnumeracyshortcomings.

Partoftheresponseofthe(former)Prisoners’LearningandSkillsUnittoissuesofdisabilityandlearningdifficultywastoprovideahandbookforprisontutors:Reaching All(2003).Itcontainsafewpagesoneachdisabilitygroupandgenericsectionsondisabilitiesandlearningstyles.ThefinalsectionThe Way Ahead,recommendedtheestablishmentofaninclusivelearningpolicy,nowadoptedbyOLASS.Itwassuggestedthatprisonersarrivingwithoutanevaluation

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oflearningneedsshouldbeinterviewedduringtheinductionprocess,priortobasicskillstesting.Inthisway,thoseunabletoundertakethetestcouldbeidentifiedanddirectedtohelp.Unfortunatelythelogisticsof‘processing’increasingnumbersinanovercrowdedsystemhastendedtounderminetheseaims.

Why screen for dyslexia?

Thereasonswhyindividualsfailtoacquirenewskillsareoftencomplexandvaryfrompersontoperson.Screeningfordyslexiaisparticularlyimportantinordertodiscountorconsiderawidespreadconditionthathasaprofoundimpactontheabilitytobenefitfromlearningortraining.Ifthisisignored,frustrationmaybeexperiencedbybothlearnerandtutor/trainer,leadingtolackofprogressandimpairedchancesofsuccess.

Adultswithdyslexiaandrelatedspecificlearningdifficultiesareveryawareoftheirdifficultiesandapproachtrainingandlearningopportunitieswarily.Someareadeptatconcealingtheirdifficulties,most,ifnotall,lackconfidenceintheirabilities.Othersfeelthattechnologymaybethewayforwardforthemanddonotexpectdyslexicdifficultiestoimpactinthissetting.However,asthisGuideexplains,problemsmaystillariseine-learning.

Atrainerortutormayneedtohandlethesensitiveissueofsuggestingthatsomeonecouldbedyslexic.Onewayofapproachingthisisbyaskingifs/hehasconsidereddyslexiaasapossibilityandofferingtogothroughachecklist,suchastheAdultDyslexiaOrganisationtool.Highratesoftruancyamongstoffendersingeneralwillmakeitharderforatrainer/tutorwithouttrainingindyslexiatodistinguishbetweentheeffectsofmissedschoolingandthoseofdyslexia.Substanceabusecanalsocomplicateidentification,effectsofdrugson

thebrainmimickingsomedyslexicindicators.Screening approaches for dyslexia(Identification of other specific learning difficulties comes later in this chapter)

Methodsofscreeningadultsforpossibledyslexiaaimtoidentifythose‘whoshowsignsofdyslexia’oraredescribedasbeing‘atrisk’ofdyslexia.Theycanbeself-administeredchecklistsorusedbyuntrainedpeoplewhoarenotnecessarilyspecialisttutorsorpsychologists.Screeningmayofferanexplanationforarangeofdifficultiesbutdoesnotcountasaconclusivediagnosis.Thenextstage-assessmentordiagnosis-isaspecialisedarea;dyslexiamayoverlapwithotherspecificlearningdifficultiessuchasdyspraxiaandattentiondeficitdisorderbothofwhichhaveimplicationsforanylearning/trainingprogramme.

Therehaslongbeenconcernaboutscreeningfordyslexiainthoseprisonandprobationsettingswherethereisnooptionofafollow-onassessment.Togetroundthisissue,an‘unobtrusive’dyslexiascreeningchecklist(Jameson,1998)wasdesignedwhichoffersthepossibilityofscreeningfordyslexiawithoutitbeingmentioned(theapproachisoneofHelp us to help you). Inthisway,theestablishmentobtainsinformationonthelikelyprevalenceofdyslexiaandtheneedsofthosecomingontoeducationalortrainingprogrammesarehighlighted.Educationmanagersareprovidedwithdatainordertoadvancetheircaseforaprovidingacomprehensiveservice.

Anotherapproach,forthosewithinternetaccess,istheLearningStylesandDyslexia online tool (see www.outsider.co-uk.com).Thisweb-basedscreeningusesacombinationofthequestionnairedevelopedfortheAdultDyslexiaOrganisationchecklistandinteractivelearningstylesscreeningtoprovidefeedbackinvisualorwritten

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formwithoutdyslexiabeingopenlyflaggedup.Tutorscanusethistoinformlearningsupport.

Thefollowingtoolsovertlyscreenfordyslexia:TherevisedAdult Dyslexia Organisation Screeningtoolisaneasilyadministeredticklist.Themoretickssomeonehas,themorelikelyitisthats/heisdyslexicbutonlyanassessmentcanconfirmthis.ThischecklististhefirstitemintheResourceBank.

Anotherusefulscreeningtoolisthetwopagechecklistincludedinthepublication:Making the (Skills for Life) Curriculum Work for Dyslexic Learners. The Dyslexia Adult Screening Test (DAST)claimstobe‘accurateatdiscriminatingbetweendyslexicsandotherswithliteracydifficulties,easy-to-useevenbyuntrainednon-professionals,fast,funandnon-patronising.’Carefulstudyoftheinstructions,testadministrationandmarkingschemesisnecessary.DASTandthefollowingthreeprogramseachtakeabouthalfanhourtoadminister.

Thescreeningtoolsbelowareallcomputer-based Instines coversawiderangeofdyslexicproblemareasandstrengthstogetherwithatutorialandtestforthescreeningsupervisor;thecomponentsubtestshavebeendeemed‘highlyrelevantinthedetectionofdyslexia’.Itcanbeusedbyspecialistandnon-specialisttrainedstaffalike.

Quickscanisacomputerisedchecklistwithprintoutwhichindicateslearningstylesandalsotakesabouthalfanhourtorunthrough.Theresultingprintouthasbeendescribedasbeing‘intutors’language’andsuggeststheextenttowhichtheindividualisdyslexic.ItwasdesignedtoleadtoStudyscan –amuchlongerprogram,developedforuniversitystudents.

Lucid Adult Dyslexia Screening (LADS)and LADS Plustakeseveralkeydyslexicindicators–wordrecognition,wordconstructionandshort-termmemory-andpresentsthemonscreen.Individualresultsareprintedout.Testingbysomeadultdyslexiagroupshavefoundsomeareasfailtodistinguishbetweendyslexicandliteracyproblems.

Assessment of dyslexia

Assessmentisusuallyundertakenbyaspecialisttutor,engagedbytheeducationcontractor.Otheroptionsareaneducationalpsychologistorspeciallyqualifiedspeechandlanguagetherapists–experienceofadultsisessential.TheAdultDyslexiaOrganisationisabletomakerecommendationsandprovideguidanceandinformation.

Testingusuallycoversbothverbalandnon-verbaltasksinarangeofareas;psychologistsgenerallyusestandardised‘IQ’tests,whichproducescoresforanumberof‘verbal’and‘performance’skills.Followingtherecommendationsofanumberofexpertbodies,theemphasisisonestablishingtheindividual’sstrengthsandweaknessesratherthanproducinganIQscore.Assessmentresultshaveoftenbeendescribedasa‘spikyprofile’withunexpectedpeaksandtroughswhichhighlightthediscrepancybetweenperformanceinareasofstrengthandspecificareasofweakness.Theweaknessesusuallyfallwithintherealmsofshort-termmemoryandprocessingspeed.Areportshouldincludeindividualrecommendationsforspecificsupportstrategies.

Assessmentofdyslexiacanbemoredifficultiftheindividualhaspoorliteracy,missedschooling,experienceofsubstancemisuse,hassomephysicalorpsychologicalimpairment,orifEnglishisnothis/herfirst

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language. Identification of Other Related Specific Learning Difficulties

Features of Dyspraxia / Developmental Co-ordination Disorder The information below is provided by the Developmental Adults Neuro-Diversity Association (DANDA).

Dyspraxiahasbeendescribedasanimpairmentoftheorganisationofmovement,oftenaccompaniedbyproblemswithlanguage,perceptionandthought.Thepatternofdifficultiesindyspraxia(orDevelopmentalCo-ordinationDisorder)mayvaryfrompersontoperson,aswithdyslexia.

Keyareasofdifficulty,experiencedbypeoplewithdyspraxia,arelistedbelow:

Planning movement and being aware of the space around them:Theyfrequentlybumpintothingsandtripoverobjects.Theymayhaveaclumsypostureandpoormuscletone.

Perception:Theyfinditdifficulttojudgeheightsanddistances,makingthemappeartobemoreclumsy.

Co-ordinating different parts of the body:Theymayfindithardtocatch,throwandbalanceaswellasmovingthedifferentpartsoftheirbodywithoutlooking.

Manual and practical work:Theymayfinditdifficulttohandlekeyboards,tools,cookingequipmentetc.safelyandeasily.Theytendtoknockoverandspillthings.

Writing:Theytendtowritelaboriouslyslowlyand/oruntidilyandillegibly.Accuratecopyingcanbedifficultandword-processingslowandlaborious.

Language:Theymayfinditdifficultto

pronouncesomewordsandsomemaystutter.Theremayalsobegeneraldifficultieswithself-expression.

Concentration Theymaytakealongtimetocompleteataskandfinditdifficulttodomorethanonethingatatime.

Short-term memory and sequencing tasks:Theymayfindithardtomakesenseofinformationwhenlisteningorreadinginstructionsanddealingwithmapsandcharts.

Organisation and thought:Theymayoperateinamuddledway,havinglittlesenseofdirectionortime.Theymayconstantlymissappointmentsandkeepforgettingandmisplacingthings.

Response to external stimulation:Theymaybeoverorundersensitivetonoise,touch,lightandtaste.

Relationships:Theycanfinditdifficulttorelatetoothers,especiallyingroupsandmaymisreadsocialcues.

AlltheabovecanleadtoEmotional Problems,causingfeelingsofdepression,anger, frustration and anxiety. These difficultieswillbecomemoreapparentintimesofstress.Peoplewithdyspraxiaalsotendtobeerraticandhave‘goodandbaddays’withoutapparentcause.

Features of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)ThefollowinginformationisprovidedbytwoADDcharities:ADDISSandADDept

Attentiondeficitdisorderisthoughttoaffectupto10%oftheadultpopulation,onacontinuumofmildtosevere.An‘attentiondeficit’meansaninabilitytofocusattentionratherthan‘attentionseeking’.Whilstmany

14

2 THE IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES IN OFFENDER SETTINGS

peoplewithADDseemnottopayattention,theyare,infact,becomingdistractedbypayingattentiontoeverythinggoingonaroundthem.

Threecoresymptomsareassociatedwithattentiondeficitdisorder:Hyperactivity, Impulsivity and Attentional problemsInadultswiththiscondition,signsofhyperactivitytendtodiminishbutthefollowingdifficultiesremain:

• Difficultiesstayingontaskandswitchingtasks

• Poorlisteningskills• Daydreaming,appearing‘spacedout’• Veryeasilydistracted• Poorshort-termmemory;difficultyin

followinginstructions• Poorinhibition/Impulsivity-nosenseof

danger• Failuretotakeaccountofthe

consequencesofactionsandtobenefitfromfeedback

• Restlessness,beingonthegoatalltimes,difficultyremainingseated

• Tappingfeet/fingers;fidgety• Disorganisation• Difficultyseeingaprojectthroughto

completion• Selfregulationdifficultye.g.blurtingout

inappropriateremarks,interruptingothers• Poorcontroloftoneandvolumeofvoice• Maytendtodothingstoexcesse.g.

drivingfast,drinkingexcessalcohol

Althoughsomepeopledevelopcopingstrategies,manycontinuetoliveintotalconfusionandfrustration.SomepeoplewithADDareperfectionistswithobsessivetendencies.Theytendtorepeatcertainactionsbecausetheycannotrememberiftheyhavedoneataskornot.

Features of Dyscalculia

Manydyslexicpeoplehavedifficultieswithnumeracy(60%isthefigureoftenquoted)butthereareasmallnumberoflearnerswhodonotmanifestdyslexicdifficultiesinotherareasbutfinditparticularlychallengingtomakeprogressinnumberskills.Thismaybeduetodyscalculia,definedbytheDfESas:a condition that affects the ability to acquire mathematical skills. It has also been referred toas‘dyslexiawithnumbers’.

Threekeychallengeshavebeenidentified:

• difficultyinprocessingnumerical/mathematicalinformation

• aninabilitytointernalisemathematicalconcepts

• nograspof'numerosity'i.e.recognisingtherelativesizeandvalueofnumbers.

Dyscalculiaeffectsmanyareasofeverydaylife,theseinclude:

• timetelling • handlingmoneyandusingpin

numbers • rememberingpersonaldates(suchas

dateofbirth,dateofmarriage) • recallingpersonalnumberssuchas

phonenumbers,postalcode • travel-mistakeswithbus,platformor

roadnumbers • followingarecipe • diallingphonenumbers • weighingandmeasuring • writingdownappointmenttimesand

datescorrectly • gamesinvolvingdiceorcounting.

Researchonchildrenindicatesthat1.3%havespecificdifficultieswithnumeracy.Wecanonlyassumethatatleastequalnumbersofadultshavethesamespecificdifficulties.StudiesintheUSindicateapproximately

15


4%ofstudentswithclassicalsymptomsofdyscalculia.Thefollowingwebsitesareinformative:www.dyscalculia.me/uk(includesa25pointchecklist)www.dyscalculia.orgwww.crme/soton.ac.uk/dyscalculia

Assessment of Specific Learning Difficulties

TheDyscoveryCentre,Cardiffhasdevelopedascreening/profilingtoolthatidentifiesbarrierstolearningacrossthespreadofspecificlearningdifficultiesratherthanscreeningforaparticularcondition.TheDyscoveryProfilerisavailableinacomputerisedversionwithtailoredfeedbackforindividualsrelevanttotheirspecificenvironments(includingprison).Arangeofsupportmaterialshasalsobeenproduced.

Atpresent,assessmentsofdyspraxia,attentiondeficitdisorderordyscalculiaarerarelycarriedoutinprisons.Eveninthecommunity,thisserviceisverypatchyduetothelackofmultidisciplinaryteamswithexpertiseacrosstherangeofspecificlearningdifficulties.Inthecaseofdyspraxia,forexample,thereshouldbesomeOccupationalTherapyinvolvementtoassessmotorskills.OnewayforwardisdevelopinginWales:theUnifiedandFairSystemforAssessingandManagingCare(UACM).

The impact of diagnosis

Althoughmanypeoplearerelievedtohaveanexplanationfortheirdifficulties,adiagnosisofdyslexia,dyspraxia,attentiondeficitdisorderordyscalculiacancomeasashock,leadingtoarangeofreactionssuchasanger,distressorfeelingsofbewilderment.Forthisreason,counsellingmaybehelpfuland/orthesupportofan

adultdyslexiagroup.TheAdultDyslexiaOrganisationhasproducedseveralinformationsheetstohelppeopleatthisdifficulttime,inrecognitionofthefactthatlittleornosupportisgenerallyprovided.

Duetolackofcounsellors,tutors/trainersmayneedtotakeonsomeaspectsofthecounsellingrole.Theywillneedgoodlisteningandcommunicationskillstoenableoffenderswithspecificlearningdifficultiestofeel‘safe’enoughtoidentifyandarticulatetheirneeds.Tutorswillprobablyhavetohelpcombattheindividual’snegativeself-conceptsandhelpovercomelearningblocks.Acrucialaspectofaneffectivediagnosticprocessisdiscussingwiththeindividualtheirstrengthsandweaknessesandensuringthatthey‘owntheprocess’,ratherthanfeelthatithasbeendonetothem.

Realisticaimsshouldbeset,basedonasupportivebuthonestappraisalofthelearner’sstrengthsandweaknesses.Respectmustbeshownfortheindividual’scultureandpreferredwaysoflearning.

TheidentificationofforeignnationalswithdyslexiaisconsideredinChapter4.

q although screening is now more widespread, many offenders with dyslexia do not have the opportunity of an assessment

q a range of paper-based and computerised tools is available

q other specific learning difficulties are not well catered for

q counselling may be required for those who are newly diagnosed

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3 PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH DYSLEXIA 3 PRINCIPLESOFSUPPORTINGLEARNERSWITHDYSLEXIA

This chapter explores a range of barriers to learning and how they might be overcome; the focus is on approaches to supporting offenders with dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADD in education & training and raising confidence levels.

Barriers to learning

Asstaffworkingwithoffendersarealltooaware,theoffendingpopulationoftenhasmultipledisadvantages;thesecaninclude:

• lackofeducationalopportunities• mentalhealthproblems• emotionalandbehaviouralproblems• theeffectsofsubstancemisuse• chaoticanddisorganisedlives

Ifdyslexiaand/orotherlearningdifficultiesarealsopresent,itcompoundsthesedifficulties.Despitebravado,thereisoftentheissueoflowselfesteemwhichmustbeaddressedbeforesuccessfullearningcantakeplace.Howeveronceanindividualhassettledintolearning,heorshecouldwelldemonstratesomeofthepositiveabilitiesassociatedwithdyslexia.

Givennegativeexperiencesofschooling,theseindividualsmaywellavoidclass-basedlearningbutbeattractedtoworkshoptrainingandtechnology.One of the attractions of ICT is that it can be an enabling technology; it can remove barriers and allow learners, who might otherwise be excluded to access the Skills for Life(ICTSkillsforLifeCurriculum).

Somemayprefertoworkontheirwingratherthanattendclasses;flexiblelearningopportunities,oftentechnology-based,arenowmakingthispossibleinsomeinstitutions.Supportwillthereforebenecessaryinallthesespheres.Increasingnumbersareengagedinpreparationforwork programmessuchasEntrytoEmployment(E2E).ICThasanimportantparttoplayinupskillingandincreasingemployability.

Freddy’sstoryillustrateshowoneindividualwashelpedtoovercomehisbarrierstolearningthroughICTwhileservingaterminanopenprison.Hehadalwayswonderedifhewasdyslexic.

AblowtomyselfrespectwasthatwhenIwasinschoolIcouldneverwriteastorydownalthoughIhadtheminmyhead.Itwassomethingaboutpenandpaperandspellingandhandwriting.ButIlearnedtousecomputerswhileIwasinside.Thishaschangedmylife.NowIcangetmystoriesdownandgetthemtidiedup.I’veevenstartedwritingpoems.

Effects of stress

Weallexperiencestresstosomeextentbuttheeffectsaremoredebilitatingtopeoplewithdyslexia.Oneexplanationforthisisthatmostpeoplewithdyslexiaarealreadyusingtheircopingstrategiestotheirfullestextentjusttomanagethechallengesofeverydaylife,sohavenoreserveslefttodrawonindemandingsituations.

Oneexpertwhohadexperienceofdyslexicpeopleinthecourts,putitlikethis:A dyslexic can appear completely incompetent in situations of stress.Inprisons,anxietyisoftenrelatedtoproblemsathomeortensionconcerningon-goinglegalprocedures.Inthesesituations,absorbinginformationorcarryingoutmentalworkbecomesalmostimpossible.

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3PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH DYSLEXIA

APrisonOfficerdescribesanoffenderunderstress:

I’dknownTomforabit.Hewasaclumsylad,bigandallovertheplacesomehow.Whenhesatdownhisheadwouldhangforwardandhewasquitemumbly.Anywayhe’dgotquitewoundupabouttheadjudication.WhenthegovernoraskedhimsomequestionstoclarifythesituationTomdidn’tseemabletoanswerwithoutstridingabouttheroom(despiterequeststostaystill)withwildarmmovementsasthoughhehadtousehiswholebodytohelpthewordsout.AndIdon’tknowwhathappenedtohisvolumecontrol.Hisvoicecameouttooloudandherambledonandonasthoughhewastryingtoavoidthequestion.Hekeptstaringatthesescruffynoteshe’dbroughtinwithhimbutdidn’tseemtobeabletomakesenseofthem.Bytheendhewasweepingwithfrustration.Ireallyfeltquitesorryforhim.IwonderedifhewasdyslexicorsomethingbutIknowhecouldread,infacthewasoftengettingstufffromthelibrary.

(FeaturesofTom’sbehaviourindicatethatheislikelytobedyspraxic)

Suggestionsforloweringstresslevelsincludeyoga,breathingandrelaxationexercises(thePhoenixTrustsuppliesfreebookletsonyoga,relaxationandmeditationtopeopleinprison:www.prisonphoenixtrust.org.uk).Anotheroptionisasupportgroup(suchasthePrisonFellowship-aChristiangroup,contactablethroughtheChaplaincy).IfthereisaQuakerchaplains/hemightorganiseactivitiesthatprovidespiritualratherthanChristiansupport,suchas(non-judgemental)ActiveListeningsessions.

Support strategies

Thefocusofthischapterisarangeofsupportstrategiesforlearnerswithdyslexia.Issuesrelatingspecificallytonumeracy and foreign nationalsarecoveredinthenextchapterwhereasadiscussionofspecialisttechnologiescanbefoundinChapter5.ArangeofusefultechniquesandstrategiesarepresentedintwoSkills for Lifepublications:Access for All and A Framework for Understanding Dyslexia

InkeepingwiththeAdultDyslexiaOrganisation’smessage‘dyslexia-friendly,user-friendly’,theseapproacheswillalsobenefitotherlearners.Foremostofthesetechniquesisa‘structuredmultisensoryapproach’,atermoftenquotedinrelationtodyslexiasupport.Thetwocomponentscanbedescribedseparately:

a) ‘A structured approach’ i.e.• teachingonethingatatime,then

combiningthestepsinacumulativeway• beingawareoftheskillsandsubskills

involved• fosteringmotivationbyachievable‘bite

size’targetswhichareclearlydefined

b) ‘A multisensory approach’Thisentailsintroducingthesameitem(s)indifferentways,usingdifferentsenses,thusreinforcingthelearning.Ideallyauditory,visualandhands-onapproachesshouldallbe used. Visualtechniquesincludecolourcoding,diagrams.Auditory strategiesincludeCDs,voicerecorders,oralwork.Hands-onlearningcouldincluderoleplay,handlingorsortingcards/objectsorusingacomputer.

The Touch-type, Read and Spellpackageisaninnovativemultisensoryapproachtolearningspelling,reading,touchtypingandcomputingskills. FirsttriedinPentonvillePrison,itwasfoundtoraiseskillslevelsand

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3 PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH DYSLEXIA

self-esteemsohasbeenrecommendedtootherinstitutions.Dailypracticeisnecessarytomakeprogressandinitialtrainingonthesystemisneeded.

Support for reading

Readingisadifficultactivityformanypeoplewithdyslexiaandpartofthereasonforpoorliteracyratesinoffenders.Somewillnothavemasteredthesubskillsnecessarytoreadeffectively.Otherswillhavenostrategiesforworkingoutunfamiliarwordssowillrelyoncontexttomakepredictions.Theremaybedifficultiestrackingalongalineoftextandkeepingtheplace.Itisalwaysbeneficialtohavesomediscussionbeforeandaftertacklingreadingmatter.

Ifawhiteboardoroverheadprojectoris used, it is essential to ensure that all studentsareabletoseetheboardorscreenproperlyandthattextissufficientlyenlarged(fontsize20atleast).Learnersmaylacktheconfidencetodrawattentiontothemselvesifthisisaproblem.

Somelearnersmayfinditdifficulttoreadhandoutsandpreferauditoryback-up.Inwellequippedcentresthereshouldbetheoptionofaccessinginformationonacomputerviaascreenreader.Keypointsofgoodpractice,relatingtofeaturesofwrittenmaterialsandminimisingvisualstress,aregivenattheendofChapter6,ADyslexia-friendlylearningenvironment.

Support for spelling

Unlikepoormaths,whichseemsalmostacceptable,poorspellingcausesgreatembarrassment.Theissueshouldthereforebeapproachedwithsensitivity.

Whenteachingacoursewhichcontainsanelementofspellingtuition,itiscounterproductivetouseonesystem

withalllearnersbecausethismaynotmatchpreferredwaysoflearningandactuallyexacerbateweaknesses.Again,amulitisensoryapproachisrecommended,togetherwithsomedemystificationofaspectsoftheEnglishspellingsystem.Learningismorelikelytoberetainedifitismaderelevanttothelearner.

Memorytechniquesneedtobetaughtandthenappliedaccordingtotheindividual’sspecificstrengthsandthewordwhichisbeingtackled.The‘Look-Cover-Write-Checkmethod’maybehelpfulforwordstheindividualcommonlyneeds(theprocessisfullydescribedinUnscrambling Spelling by Millar&Klein).

Spellcheckersareusefultools.Hand-heldspellcheckersshouldbephoneticsuchasthoseproducedbyFranklin,ratherthannonphonetic(assomeelectronicdictionaries/thesaurusare).ComputerspellcheckersmustbesettoUKEnglish.Beawarethatdistinguishingbetweensimilaroptionspresentedbyaspellcheckermaybeproblematic.Fortunatelyweakspellingislessofabarrierine-learning.

Support for writing

Iflearnershavetocopydowninformation,ensurethattheyaresittinginacomfortablepositiontowrite,mostroomscontainingbanksofcomputershaveverylittledeskspacefacingthefront.Copyingposesanadditionalproblemforsomeonewithdyslexiabecauseoftheloaditplacesonshorttermmemory.Lookingupattheboard/screen,copyingdowntheinformationandthentryingtofindtheplacetakestimeandagreatdealofconcentration.AlternativessuchashandoutsorICToptionsarepreferable.

Theuseofassistivetechnology,suchasspellcheckers,predictivewordbanksorcomputerscreen-readersmustbepresentedasskillacquisitionratherthanlearningaid.

19


Dyslexicwritersshouldbeencouragedtoconcentrateonrecordingtheirideasbeforeaddressingtheformatoftheirtext.Thiscouldentailwritersdictatingtheirideastoascribe,ontoarecordingmachineorthroughacomputervoice-inputsystem.Itisbesttomakeaquicklistofideasbeforefleshingthemout.Thethemeofpersonalisinglearningarisesagainhere:dyslexicwritersshouldlearnandpractisewriting/wordprocessingskillsusingtheirownwritingassourcematerial.

AnotherusefulwritingtoolistheMindmap.Thesearesimilartospidergrams;theyenable learners to organise their ideas using aminimumofkeywords,supportedbyavisuallayout,usingcolourandmemorypegs.Inorderfordyslexiclearnerstogetthebestoutofthistechnique,itshouldbethoroughlytaughtandpractised.MindmappingisoneofthemanystrategiesandsystemsdescribedindetailinTonyBuzan’sbooks,videos,programmesandtrainingcourses,tomaximiselearning.Mindmappingcanbeapaperbasedactivityorcomputerised,

usingprogrammessuchasInspirationandMindManager.

Providing feedback

Providingfeedbackontheworkofdyslexiclearnersmustbehandledsensitivelysinceselfesteemisoftenfragile.Ifhandledwell,itcanbeapositivesourceofencouragementandlearning.Itisimportanttogivefeedbackforworkasquicklyaspossibleafterithasbeencompleted.Inthecaseofnumeracy,itisnecessarytodiscoverwhythelearnerhasgotitwrong–isitaproceduralerrororacalculatingmistake?

Manye-learningprogrammeshaveself-checkingexerciseswhichprovideinstantfeedbackandprotectself-esteem.Anexampleofthisisacollationofasetofe-learningmaterialsintheformofCDstakenfromtheNationalLearningNetworktosupporttheOffenderLearning&SkillsProgramme.Featuresincludebite-sizedlearning,awiderangeoftopics,gamesand

Thismindmap,producedbytheChorletonDyslexiaWorkshop,illustrateslearningtools.

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quizzesforreinforcementandbuilt-intutorguides.Areascoveredcomprise:KeySkillsandSkillsforLife,PreparationforWork,LeisureandAdvancedStudy.Customableoptionsarehelpfulforlearnerswithdyslexia.

Support for organisation

Manypeoplewithdyslexia,dyspraxiaandADDfindorganisationalskillschallengingandlivechaoticlives.Thisareabecomescrucialforthoseservingcommunityorderswheretwobreachesleadtoacourtappearanceandre-sentencing.Thecomplexityofappointmentswitharangeofagenciesontopofattendanceatdrugrehabcentresandprobationprogrammesorunpaidworkcommitmentsmakesconsiderabledemandsonorganisationabilities.Asaresult,manyoffenderswillendupinprisonforacrimethathasbeenjudgedsuitableforacommunitysentence.Thistrendhasincreasedmassively,leadingtocriticismfromtheChiefInspectorofPrisons.

Forthisreason,itisvitalthatlearningsupportincludestraininginselforganisation.ICTsolutions,whereavailable,willworkwellforsomelearnersandhavetheadvantageofappearing‘cool’.Teachersandtrainerswoulddowelltoanticipatetheinherentdisorganisationoftheirlearnersbykeepingasupplyofsparematerials.Theyshouldassistlearners/traineestoconstructasimpletimetableofwhatisneededeachtimetheyattendasession.Amindmap,whichdisplayswhatisneededinvisualformat,maybeanother solution.

Donotassumethatpeoplewithspecificlearningdifficultieshaveanautomaticgraspofdaysoftheweekormonthsoftheyear,especiallywhenthesearereferredtoout of sequence,forexampleknowingwhichmonthitwillbeinthreemonthstimeorwhichwasthedaybeforeyesterday.AmoduleonpromotingcompetencyinthiswholeareaisincludinginthedistancelearningpartofthetutortrainingcourseSupporting Dyslexic

Learners(OffendingContext:OrganisationSkillsModule),producedbytheCentreforBritishTeachers(CfBT)EducationTrust.(Seetheirwebsiteforfurtherinformation).

Supporting learners with Dyspraxia

Theadultdyspraxianetworkprovidesthefollowingadvice:• Learnaboutdyspraxiaandacknowledge

theproblem• Anticipatedifficultiesinthefollowing

areas:manualandpracticaltasks;workthatrequiresspatialskillsandgoodorientation;operatingundertimeconstraintsandmakeallowances

• Beawarethatpeoplewithdyspraxiamightfinditdifficulttoexpressthemselves,interruptinappropriatelyandcanseemrude,abruptordemanding

• Donotoverloadthemwithinformation• Repeatandsummarisethemainpointsof

the session• Allowhelpfromotherlearners• Sinceproducinglegiblehandwritingmay

beimpossible,considerotherwaysofworking(suchasusingascribe)

• Allowstudentstouseavoicerecorder(ifpossible).

AdvicerelatingtotechnologyisgiveninChapter5.

IgotsofrustratedontheoutcosIcouldonlygetmenialjobsdoingphysicalworkwhichisthehardestformecosofmydyspraxia.IdecidedtogooneducationandgetsomequalificationssoIcouldgetajobthatusedmybrain.ThetutordidnotknowaboutdyspraxiabutshewashelpfulandcouldseeIwantedtolearn.Gavin

21


Supporting learners with attentional difficulties / ADD

Progresswillbemorechallengingiflearnershaveattentionaldifficultiessuchaspoorconcentration,highlevelsofdistractibilityand/orashortattentionspan.Theoutcomeisthattheycannotremainfocusedonanyactivityforverylong.Thefollowingguidelineshelptocaterfortheseoffenders:

• Engagewiththelearners'experienceand interest to gain attention

• Checkfrequently,butdiplomatically,thatlearnersunderstandthetask

• Buildinbreaks,asnecessary,ratherthanrisklosingthefocusofthesession

• Keepinstructionstoaminimumandprovideavisualcopythatcanbereferredbackto

• ‘Chunk’theinformationanddon’tspendtoolongonanyoneitem

• Linkyourpointsandprovidememorypegs

• Usehumour,ifpossible.

Minimisingdistractions,wherepossible,willalsohelp,sinceindividualswithsevereADDlearnbetterwiththeminimumofvisualandauraldistractions,ideallyinaone-to-onesituation.Considerthefollowing:Can you arrange seating so that learners are facingawayfromwindows?Isthereanywayofreducingbackgroundorexternalnoise?Canyouvarythepaceofthesessiontohelpmaintainconcentration?

Somelearnersareabletomaintainconcentrationforlongerperiodsonthecomputer,especiallyiftheyhaveheadphonesonaswell,andfindthisamoreproductivewayofworking.Programsideallyincorporatepointsmadeinlastfourbulletpointsabove.

Issues of confidence and motivation

Confidenceandmotivationareessentialingredientsofprogressinallaspectsoflearningandtraining.Alearnerwhohastastedsuccessinthepastwillknowthattomakemistakesisoneofthewayswelearnandwillnotbetoodisheartenedbyfailure.Butlearnerswithspecificlearningdifficulties,especiallythoseinanoffendersetting,oftenhavelittleexperienceofsuccess,feelthattheyarebeyondhelpandareheldbackbythefearthattheywillexposetheirweaknesses.

Motivationisaveryindividualaspectoflearning.Mostlearnerswillhavetheirownideasofwhattheywanttoachievebutnotalwaysknowhowtogetthere.Asmentioned,manydyslexicpeoplefinditveryhardtobemotivatedunlessthereisanelementofpersonalinterestandchoiceinwhattheystudy.Inaddition,learningbasedonwhatismeaningfultothelearnerismorelikelytoberetained.Aselectionoftopicsshouldthereforebeofferedwherepossible.

Sometimesadifferentapproachtoteaching/trainingisneeded,onemoreintunewiththelearner’swayofacquiringskills.Someoffendershavesaidthatthey‘cannothandlelearninginagroup’butwillengagewithindividuale-learning.Othersfindthesupportofpeermentorshelpsthemmakebetterprogress.

AccordingtotheOffender’s Learning Journey,successfulapproachescan help to improve the physical and mental well-being of offenders, encouraging reflection and increasing self confidence.(IntroductiontoSection09)

22


Confidenceandmotivationcanbepromotedinthefollowingways:

• Listeningtothelearner• Encouragingthelearner• Praisingeffortaswellasresults• Offeringincentives,ifappropriate• Guidingthelearnertowardsrealistic

goals• Keepingthestepssmalland

attainable• Celebratingsuccess.

Oneparticularcourse,whichraninanumberofprisons,hasconfidenceandmotivationatitscore.Learning to Succeedwasdevelopedbythe(former)DyslexiaAdvice&ResourceCentretoencouragedyslexiccopingstrategiesandfosterskilldevelopment.Componentsinclude:ListeningSkillsandEmotionalDevelopment.

JennyLee’sMaking the Curriculum Work for Learners with Dyslexia containsahelpfulsectiononraisingself-esteem.

q Offenders often face multiple barriers to learning

q Raising self esteem is a pre-requisite of learning

q Since learners learn in different ways, a range of approaches and options is needed

q Some of the options offered by ICT are particularly appropriate to learners with specific learning difficulties

23

4SUPPORT FOR NUMERACY and ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL) 4SUPPORT FOR NUMERACY and ENGLISH FOR

SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL)

SUPPORT FOR NUMERACY

Everydayaspectsofprisonliferequirebasicnumeracyskillsandtheabilitytoretainnumbersequences:thecanteenformhastobecompleted;financialaspectsofIncentivesandEarnedPrivileges(IEPs)needtobeworkedout;importantnumbershavetoberecalledsuchasthepinnumberforphoningandthenumbersyouwishtocall.Thecombinationofdigitsandlettersthatmakeuptheirprisonnumbermustbeenteredcorrectlyonallforms.Mostoffendersinthecommunityhavetotacklenumerousformstoclaimbenefitsandgrants,requiringarangeofcalculations.

Demandingnumeracyskillsareoftenrequiredinvocationaltraining.Thefollowingexample,takenfromanIndustrialCleaningcourse,illustratesarangeofnumeracytasks.The skills you will need for this Activity are:• designing a data collection sheet• reading and calculating quantities• calculations of ratio, fraction or percentage• drawing a line graph.KeySkillssuchasUnderstanding and measuring dilution ratios,cropupinanumberofvocationalareas(suchasIndustrialCleaning,Construction,Painting&Decorating,Hair&Beauty)andrequireacombinationofarithmetic,manualdexterityandreadingskillsany(orall)ofwhichmaybechallengingforlearnerswithdyslexiaordyspraxia.Itisthereforenecessaryforworkshopinstructors,aswellastutorsineducationalsettings,tobeabletosupportthesetrainees/studentsandunderstandtheirdifficulties.

TheDfESSkillsforLifeSurvey(2003)reportedthat:the connection between numeracy skills and earnings is more significant than the connection between literacy skills and earnings......difficulties with numeracy impact more negatively on job prospects than literacy difficulties. Maths certainly does matter. By supporting dyslexic learners who have maths difficulties we will be improving their life chances, earning potential and career opportunities.’

Key aspects of support for numeracy

Thefollowingareas,thefirstofwhichwashighlightedinthepreviouschapter,arecrucialtosupportingdyslexiclearnersinnumeracytasks:• Structuredmultisensorytechniques• Concretelearning• Identifyingandteachingthesubskills• Exploringthelanguageofmaths• Providingmemorysupport• Drawingonareasofstrength

Structured multisensory techniques.

Structuredentailsbreakingmathematicaloperationsdownintosmallstepssothatlearnersarenotoverwhelmedanddemoralisedbutgainasenseofachievementalongtheway.Theremustbealogicalprogressionbetweenthesesteps.Inthenumeracysphere,multisensory techniquesincludeverbalisingtheactivity,encouraginglearnerstousetheirvoices(makinguseofrhythmwhereappropriate).Colourisusefultodistinguishbetweenor

People with dyslexia often need support in the area of numeracy. These skills may be required for vocational training and are a key factor in employability. The second part of this chapter focuses on foreign nationals whose language problems may mask dyslexic difficulties.

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4 SUPPORT FOR NUMERACY and ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL)

tohighlightdifferentfeatures:workwithlearnerstohighlightkeywordsandimportantnumericaldata;thiswillhelpthemtofocustheirattentionandcouldbefollowedbydiscussion.Provideahands-onelement,usingconcretelearning(seenextitem).Itmaybenecessarytocoverormaskquestionsnotbeingworkedon,inordertofocusattention

Concrete learning

Concretelearning(asopposedtoabstractlearning)ismostlikelytobenefitdyslexiclearners. This entails learning by doing, ideallywithvisualorauditorysupport.Newconceptsshouldbeintroducedinapracticalway,suchasundertakingasurveyofeyecoloursinthegrouptoillustrateratios. The topicthereforebecomesmeaningful–animportantaspectofadultlearning.Reallifesituationsarealwayspreferable.Awidevarietyofconcrete,educational,numeracymaterialsareavailabletoillustratebasicconcepts.TheSkills for Life Numeracy Core Curriculum hasgoodexamplesofconcreteapproachesinallthreeEntrylevelsections.Whenmovingfromtheconcretetotheabstract/symbolic,providelinks,turna‘worded’problemintoasumwithdigitsandgivesufficientpracticethroughgradedexercises.Anexampleofausefullinkiscolourcodingtoaidunderstandingofplacevalue;thesamecodingcanbecarriedthroughfromconcretematerialstoabstractsums.

Identifying and teaching the subskills

Thiscanbesummarisedasfollows:• trackbacktothemostbasicareaof

difficulty• provideplentyof'over-learning'ineachof

therelevantsubskills• combinesubskillscarefully,checking

understandingbeforeproceeding• groupalternativenamesforthesame

operationtogether• startwitheverydaylanguagethen

introducemathematicalterminologyalongside it

• linkvisualimages/symbolswithlanguageterms

Remembertorevisitwhathasbeencoveredinprevioussessions.Access For All,p213,providesinformationonthetopicofsubskills.UsefultoolsincludetheNumbers Disc (availablefromtheBasicSkillsAgency).

The language of maths

Numeracyvocabularyisinherentlyconfusingwithdifferentwordsbeingusedforthesameoperation,forinstance,plus, add, the sum of all relate to addition.Discussionisagoodwaytoexplorethislanguage.Rephrasingaquestionwillopenupmeaningtothosewhohavenotunderstoodtheformatorlanguageused.Amathsdictionary(suchasthatbyRobson)canbeusefulforsomelearners.Itisimportanttocheckcomprehensionbeforethelearnerattemptsawrittennumeracytask,tolessenthechanceoferrors.Thebestwayofdoingthisistoencouragelearnerstotalkthroughthestepsofataskandtourgethemtothinkaloud.Thishasseveralbenefits,namely:• revealingiftheyhaveunderstood/read

thequestioncorrectly• helpingtodeveloporganisedthinking• providingauditoryfeedback.

Memory support

‘Overlearning’isnecessarytosupportaweakshort-termmemory.Onewaytodothisisthroughgames.Thesecanprovideawelcomebreak,whilereinforcingaspectsofnumeracy.Therearesuggestionsinthe Skills for Life Learner Materials Pack: Numeracy (Entry 2 Unit 1)

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4SUPPORT FOR NUMERACY and ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL)

Memorycardsareagoodsupportstrategy;theseconsistofsmallcardsorindexcardsonwhichtowritethenumericalinformationthelearnerneedstoaccessfrequentlybuthasdifficultyremembering.Thecardscanthenbeusedforpracticebetweenlessons.Learnerswillretaininformationbestiftheymaketheirownassociationsandmemoryaids. Checklistsandreferencesheetsarealsohelpfulasameansoflesseningtheloadonthememory.

Drawing on areas of strength

Providinganoverviewisanapproachwhichacknowledgestheholisticwayoflearning,commontomanypeoplewithdyslexia.Inthisway,learnerscanseewhattheyareaimingforwithoutgettingboggeddowninthemechanicsofmaths.Furthertechniqueswhichdrawondyslexicareasofstrengthincludeencouraginglearnerstomakeassociationswhicharemeaningfultothemandlookingforlinksorpatterns.Iflearnersarehelpedtoseehowdifferentpiecesofinformationareconnectedandstarttorecognisemathematicalpatterns,theymaywellfindthatthisisthemostnaturalwayintounderstandingtheconceptsofmaths.Duetothevarietywithindyslexia,itisworthpointingoutthatsomelearnerswillfindithardtomakethelinksthemselves.

WormwoodScrubsrunsActiveLearningSessionsinICTwhichincorporatepracticalaspectsofeverydaylifeintothetraining.Oneexampleofanactivityisusingspreadsheetstodeterminethelearners’canteenforthecomingweeks.Inthiswaynumeracyisseenasusefulskillwithpracticalapplicationslinkedtotheabilitytoproduceprofessionallookingspreadsheetswhichhelpbuildconfidence.

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Use of calculators

The following issues should be borne in mind:CalculatorsthatdisplaythecalculationthathasbeeninputarehelpfulSpeakingcalculatorsprovideaudiofeedbackonwhichkeyhasbeenpressedLearnerswithpoorco-ordinationordyspraxicdifficultieswillneedacalculatorwithlargerkeys.Drawattentiontosymbolswhicharevisuallysimilar,i.e+andx,minussignanddividesignItmaybepossibletocolourcodethe4operationsbyusingcolouredstickersontheoperationkeyswiththesymbolwrittenonthemAdviselearnerstocrosseachitemoffthepagewhentransferringittothecalculator.Learnerswithvisualperceptualorspatialproblemswillhavetotakeextracarewhentransferringinformationfromthepageorverbalinstructiontothecalculator.Learnersshouldinitiallyverbalisetheoperationtheyareperformingwiththecalculatorandtheanswer,sothatthetutorcanchecktheirunderstanding.

Support for dyscalculia

Thereisstillalackofinformationaboutthisspecialistareabut,ingeneralterms,techniquesusedfordyslexiclearnersarehelpful.Howeverprogresswillbeslowerasthedifficultiesaremoreintractable.Suitableapproachesinclude:

• associatingthenameofthenumberwiththesymbol.

• matchingcardswiththesamenumbers.

• countingwithadult‘tools’e.g.dominoesandobjects(suchasplasticmoney)

• developing'numerosity'bysimplenumbersequencingactivities,e.g.identifying the fifthitemonatillreceipt

• linkingcoinswithnumbersbylookingatthenumberwrittenonthecoin.

• sequencingcoinsaccordingtovalue.

FurtherinformationAccess For Allpp250&255Mathematical Solutions: an introduction to dyscalculiabyJanProustie(NextGenerationBooks)

Summary of Learning and Teaching styles for Numeracy

Clarifythelanguageofmaths.Encouragethelearnertotalkthroughnumeracytasks.Talkingaloudhelpstodeveloporganisedthinkingandwillrevealanydifficulties.Workatalevelwheresuccessislikely.Useconcretematerials(suchasblocksorcoins)whenlearnerisunsureof,orlearning,anewnumeracyskill.Workwithconcretematerialsbeforetacklingpaper-basedtasks.Usereallifesituationsasmuchaspossibletoaidunderstandingofconcepts.

Furtherinformation:Adult Dyslexia: A guide for Learndirect tutors and support staff,Chapter6Dyslexia, Dyspraxia & Mathematics by DorianYeo(Whurrpublishers)

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FOREIGN NATIONALS / ENGLISH for SPEAKERS of OTHER LANGUAGES

Withinthecriminaljusticesystem,offendersfromothercountriesaregenerallytermed‘foreignnationals’.Bytheendof2006theyrepresentedoneineightoftheprisonpopulation–a152%increasecomparedwithtenyearspreviously(Britishnationalshadincreasedby55%overthesameperiod).HomeOfficestatisticsalsorecordedthatatleastoneinfivewomeninprisonwasaforeignnational.WhereEnglish,WelshorJamaicanEnglishisnotthefirstlanguage,thereisaconfusingarrayofacronymsforanyonewhocomesontoeducationalprogrammes:• ESLlearner(EnglishasaSecond

Language,nowlesscommon)• EALlearner(EnglishasanAdditional

Language)• ESOLlearner(EnglishforSpeakersof

OtherLanguages).ThefinaltermreflectsthefactthatEnglishmaybethethirdorevenfourthlanguage.SinceSkills for LifereferstoESOL,thisGuidewilldothesame.

The Skills for LifeinitiativehashighlightedthespecificneedsofthisgroupbydevisinganESOLcurriculum,laidoutlikeitsbasicskillscounterpart.ItmaybethatsomelearnersareinappropriatelyworkingthroughtheliteracycurriculumunawarethatESOLprogrammesareavailable.SomeSkills for LifeESOLcoursesareavailableon-line.Forthoseincommunityprovision,somelearndirectcentresoffertheEnglishLanguageLearningInformationSystem(ELLIS),acomprehensivecourseofferedatseveralintermediatelevelswithmultimediasupportinawiderangeoflanguages.

Factors for consideration

ItisalltooeasytoattributethedifficultiesofESOLlearnerstotheirincompletegraspof

English,plusvariouscultural,educationalandemotionalfactors,ratherthanexploringwhethertheremightbecomplicationssuchas dyslexia.

Lara’ssituationillustratesthispoint.

LaraisfromtheUkraineandregardsherselfasanentrepreneur.HerspokenEnglishisadequateforeverydaypurposesbutsheneveracquiredwrittenEnglishatschoolandwasunsuccessfulacademically.IntheSkills for Lifeclass,sheseemedunabletoretainthelettersymbolsandwouldoftenproduceamirrorimagewhencopyingletters–notonly‘b’and‘d’but‘m’and‘w’.ThiswasputdowntodifferencesbetweentheRussianandEnglishalphabetsbutfurtherdyslexicindicatorsemergedinoralsessionssuchasconfusingleftandrightandmuddlingnumbersequences,includingherprisonnumber.Asimplechecklistshowedseveralkeydyslexiaindicators.

Identifying the dyslexic ESOL learner

DyslexiascreeningandtestingmaterialsthatrefermainlytothereadingandwritingofEnglishskillsareclearlynotappropriatefor these learners. Instead, staff need toconsiderdyslexiaindicatorsthatareindependentofliteracyandperformanceinthefirstlanguage.

Progressmaybeaffectedbythreefurtherfactors:1) thelevelofliteracyinthehomelanguage2) ‘languageinterference’,i.e.featuresof

theindividual’sownlanguagewhichcancontributetothedifficultiesmasteringanother language

3) thenatureofthefirstlanguage;forexampletherearelanguageskillsrequiredinEnglish(suchasrhyming)whichdonotariseinthesamewayinother languages.

Inconclusion,thesedifficultiesmaymaskdyslexia,compounditorsimulateit.

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Thisisclearlyaspecialistarea.Astartcanbemade,however,byusingachecklist,butcaremustbetakenbecausethemajorityofscreeningandassessmenttoolsaredesignedsolelyfornativeEnglishspeakers.Ideallyscreening/testingshouldbecarriedoutbothinEnglishandinthehomelanguage:iftheindividualisdyslexictheunderlyingcognitivedifficultiesremainthesame,thoughthewaytheyshowinreadingandwritingwilldependuponthelanguage(andscript)used.

UsefulguidanceisprovidedinDyslexia and the Bilingual Learner; thispublicationincludesthefollowingfeatures:• achecklist,suggestingthequestionsthat

tutorsshouldpose• atenpagediagnosticinterviewformat• gradedreadingpassagesformiscue

analysis• diagnosticspellingdictationsandsample

assessmentreports.Furthersectionscoverapproachestoteachingandstrategiesforlearners.

Iflearnersfindthatthemajorityofthedyslexiachecklistitemsrelatetothem,theyareregardedas‘showingsignsofdyslexia’.Onlyadiagnosticassessmentwillconfirmwhetherdyslexiaisindeedanissue.Forthosewithweaklanguageskills,theassessmentshouldbecarriedoutinthehomelanguage.Unfortunatelythisserviceisseldomavailableinoffendersettings.

OnegroupofforeignnationalsthathasbeengrowinginWomen’sPrisonsinrecentyearsareJamaicanwomen,convictedofbringingindrugs(sometimesreferredtoas‘drugmules’).AlthoughtheywouldnotseemtofittheESOLcategory,theirlanguageisclearlydiffersfromStandardEnglishinmanyrespects;thegrammar,phonicsystem,pronunciationandspellingalldemonstratethisfact.DifficultiesingainingEnglishliteracyskillscouldbemistakenlyattributedtodyslexiaratherthanthedifferencebetweenJamaicanandStandardEnglish.

What does ‘Dyslexia’ mean to foreign nationals / ESOL learners?

Theterms‘dyslexia’or‘SpecificLearningDifficulties’mayhavedifferentimplicationsinotherlanguagesandcultures.InRussia,forexample,‘dyslexia’and‘dysgraphia’refertothereadingandwritingabilitiesofslowlearners–theterm‘secondarydyslexia’isgenerallyusedtoconveywhatwemeanbydyslexia.Theissueofleft-handednessfeaturesprominentlyinsomecountriesandspecialisedprogrammesareavailable.Usefulguidanceonthesedifferencesinapproachisgiveninthefollowingpublications:• ESOL Access for All• It's Not as Simple as you Think; cultural

viewpoints around disability (Learning for Living Pathfinder)

• The International Book of Dyslexia.SeeResourceBankandwww.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus

Itisimportanttobeawareofthestigmasurroundinglearningdifficultiesanddisabilitiesinmanyculturalcontexts.Forthatreasonitmaybebettertoreferto‘yourlearnerprofile’,‘learningstyle’or‘differencesinlearning’whendiscussinglearningproblemswithindividualswhodisplaydyslexiccharacteristics.

Support for ESOL learners

Manyoftheprinciplesonsupportinglearnerswithdyslexiaapplytoforeignnationalsbutsomeadditionalpointsareworthnoting.Informationonwhylanguageisthewayitis,sometimesreferredtoasmetacognition,canbehelpful.

Itisimportanttocorrectfaultysoundpatternsinpronunciationbecausethesecanaffectspelling.Letternames,soundsymbolrelationships,commonblends,segmentationskillsandrhymingskillsneedtobetaughtsystematicallyandwiththeaid

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ofvisualprompts.Flashcardsorothertypesofvisualpromptsarealsouseful,inordertointroducenewlearningitemsandrecallknownvocabulary.Culturallyrelevantimageshaveagreaterimpactonlearningthannon-relevantmaterial.

ESOLlearnersshouldbesuppliedwithreferencematerialsofvarioustypes,suchaschartscontaininggrammaticalinformationandbi-linguallistsofsequencessuchasmonthsoftheyear(sincetheymaynotbesecurewiththeseintheirownlanguage).Buildingupapersonaldictionarywillhelpreinforcespellings.

Itisimportantforthedyslexicindividualto‘overlearn’itemsofpersonaldifficulty;thiscanbecometiresomeifpracticeisnotundertakeninavarietyofstimulatingcontexts.Gamesareoftenincorporatedintolanguageteachingprogramsforreinforcement.Computerprogramsallowforindividualprogressionratesandtheoptionofrevisitingdifficultlanguageitems.

Inconclusion,itisclearlymoredifficulttoseparateouttheunderlyingcausesofdifficultieswithlearninginthemultilingualindividual.Butwiththeappropriateexpertiseandassessmenttoolsitispossibletodeterminekeyareasofdyslexicdifficulty,andprovideasuitablelearningsupportprogramme.

FurtherinformationAdult Dyslexia: A guide for Learndirect tutors and support staff, Chapter7NIACEe-guidelines8:E-learning for teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages

q a Skills for Life ESOL curriculum and associated learning materials have been developed

q it is possible to identify dyslexia in ESOL learners

q screening and assessment materials must be appropriate

q be aware of a possible stigma associated with learning difficulties

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5 SPECIALIST TECHNOLOGIES & SUPPORT IN E-LEARNING

TheNIACEe-guidelinesbooklet:Supporting adult learners with dyslexia: harnessing the power of technologylistssomeofthebenefitsofe-learning;thisapproachcan:• attractlearners• createapositivelearningenvironment• extendtherangeofteachingandlearning

methods• motivateandempowerlearners• givelearnerstransferableskills• offerextraskillsforemployment.

Security Issues

Althoughthereareobviouslyissuesofsecuritywhendeliveringe-learninginsecuresettings,thesehavebeenlargelyovercomebypioneeringprojectwork(seechapter9).Anevaluationoflearndirectworkinprisonsconcluded:A robust, secure internet based e-learning solution for offenders is possible – if managed correctly. (ExecutiveSummaryofAnEvaluationofthelearndirectESFPathwaysProjectinPrisons&ProbationbyProfDWilsonandMLogan,2007)

Unfortunatelythebenefitsoftheseinnovativeapproachesarenotavailablethroughouttheprisonandprobationservice,norareallthespecialisttechnologiesdiscussedbelow.Thepurposeofthischapteristoshowhowspecialisttechnologiescansupportthelearnerwithdyslexia,howtochoosebetweendifferentoptionsandhowtoaccessthemthroughAdditionalLearningSupport.


This chapter describes the various technological aids which are currently available to assist people with dyslexia when they are working with e-learning or materials that are shared across a network. Specialist technologies are a useful way of compensating for literacy difficulties and accessing learning materials at the level of interest and ability. Procedures for procurement are outlined.

Manyindividualswithdyslexiahavefoundtechnology,intheformofacomputerwithwordprocessingfacilities,agreathelpinlearningsituations.ThelinkbetweenlearningandtechnologyisstressedinaNIACEsurveywhichfound:a correlation between access to and use of technology and participation in education.(ParticipationinLearning,2003):

Whatfactorscontributetothesuccessofcomputer-aidedlearningforpeoplewithdyslexia?Firstly,thecomputerisever-patientandallowsonetostructureandreframeinformationintoanacceptableformat.Inaddition,itcanprovideawiderangeofsupportmechanismssuchasreadingtextaloud,enablingdictationfromspeechtotext,spellchecking,planningandorganisationalassistance.

Accessingacomputerandmakingthemostofe-learningopportunitiescannecessitatesupportatboththecurriculumandtechnologicallevels.Somepeoplefinditeasiertoworkwithcomputersthanothersanddyslexicindividualsarenodifferent,buttheyoftenhavetheaddedcomplicationofrequiringaccesstolearningmaterialsthroughtheuseoftext-to-speechreaders,magnification,changesindesktopsettingsandvariousmethodstohelpwithtextinput.Theseaddedtechnologiescanbeliberating,butonlyiftheyhavebeenchosenwiththespecificrequirementsofthatparticularindividualinmindand he or she has gained adequateskillstomakethemostoftheirattributes.

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5SPECIALIST TECHNOLOGIES & SUPPORT IN E-LEARNING

ADVANTAGES OF USING ICT WITH DYSLEXIC LEARNERS

→ICT can be interactive §thisisgoodforthosewithakinaesthetic/

hands-onpreference§ithelpstokeepthelearneractively

engaged§itcanprovideinstantfeedback

→ICT can be multisensory§multisensorylearningisrecommended

for dyslexia§words,sound,graphics,colourcanbe

presentedsimultaneously§auditory,visualandhands-onlearning

stylesarecateredfor

→ICT can enable you to work at your own pace /preserve self esteem§itisnon-criticalandpatient§youcanworkatyourownpace,taking

breaksasnecessary§youcanrepeatsectionsasoftenasyou

like

→ICT can provide compensation for poor literacy skills§viaread-backsoftwareand/orspeech

input§viatexthighlighting§viaautomaticspell-checking§viapredictivesoftware

→ICT can help with organisation§throughuseofelectronicorganisers§bydraftingandre-draftingfacilitiessuch

ascutandpaste§bymind-mappingprogrammes

→ICT can accommodate individual learning preferences§byadaptingbackgroundandforeground

colours§bychangingfontsizeandtype§viaarangeofsettingsandadaptations

Assessing technology needs

ICTisnota‘onesizefitsall’solutionfordyslexiclearners,moreacaseof‘HorsesforCourses’.AnICTtoolisappropriateonlyifitcanenhanceorenablethelearningexperienceand‘fit’thelearningstyleofthedyslexicuser.Inappropriatetechnologycanactuallyformafurtherbarriertolearning.The ICT Skills for Life curriculumexpressesthisasfollows:Judging when and how to use ICT is an essential skill. Learners need to be critical about the ICT tools that they use, to know when to use them and to recognise that there are different ways of doing the same thing

Atthetimeofgoingtopress,technologyassessmentswereunlikelywithinaprisonsettingbutoffendersinthecommunitycouldhavetheopportunitytovisitanAssessmentCentre(seeResourceBankforcontactdetails).Theevaluationprocessallowsthelearnertoexplorethedifferenttypesofassistiveorspecialisttechnologies.Itisalwaysadvisabletocheckcostsbeforeproceeding.Itisalsoimportanttocheckwhichspecialisttechnologiesworkwiththeproposede-learningmodules.

Restrictions,linkedtosecurityissues,continuetocounterthemovetowardsgreateraccessibilityinprisonsettings.Whichtypesofequipmentareallowedinseemstovaryfromestablishmenttoestablishment,accordingtoaccountsfromtutors,whorelateinstancesofbeingabletotakefarmoreitemsoftechnologyintoaCategoryAprisonthan a Category D.

Itmustbestressedthatthereisanobligationoneducationandtrainingproviderstoensureaccessibilityforlearnerswithdisabilities,asfarasisreasonablypossible.TheADOEEOLSCDprovidespracticalguidanceandexamples.Fundingforassistivetechnology/learningsupportand

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technologyprocurementproceduresarecoveredattheendofthischapter.

Preparing for e-learning

Beforealearnergetstoworkonacomputeritisimportanttocheckthatseatingandmonitorheightareappropriatefortheuser.Thekeyboardandmousemustbesuitableand,iftexttospeechorspeechrecognitionsoftwareistobeused,aheadsetmustbeavailable.Desktopsettingsmayneedtobeadaptedtosuitlearnerpreferencessuchaschangingbackgroundcolours,fonttypes,sizesandlinespacing–muchofwhichcanbeachievedthroughtheFormatmenu.AccessibilitypagesontheMicrosoftandApplewebsites(whereinternetconnectionsareallowed)guideonethroughtheprocess.

The following sections explore technological solutions to supporting e-learners in literacy areas

Reading from the screen

Thenatureofthecomputerscreengivessomelearnerswithdyslexiaparticulardifficulties:thescreenmayseemtoobrightandtheslightflickermaymakeithardtolookatforalongperiodoftime.Sinceitisatadifferentangletopaper,itmayprovedifficultfortheeyestotrackalongthetext(andadultsfeelembarrassediftheyhavetotrackalongthescreenwiththeirfinger).Onelearnerdescribesherproblems:

Ihavesomedifficultyreadingthecomputerscreen.ItseemstoobrightandmyeyesgetreallysoreandIhavetostopworkingafteraveryshortlengthoftime.IfthelettersaretoosmallthenIfinditdifficulttokeeptheplaceandhavetoputmyfingeronthescreentohelp.Theseproblemsaffectmyabilitytoconcentrate.TheothertroubleIhaveisthatoncethetexthasleftthescreenIcannotrememberitsoIhavetoprinteverythingouttoreaditproperlyandkeepmyplace.Text-to-speech,withachoiceofsynthesised

computervoices,isthemostcommonlyusedsoftwaretoassistdyslexicindividualswithreadingfromacomputerscreen.Agoodassessmentwillindicatehowsomeonelikestoreadfromthescreen,andprogramssuchasTextHelp Read and Write Standard or Gold, Kurzweil 3000 or ClaroRead and ClaroRead Plus canbeconfiguredtospeakeachword,sentenceorparagraph.Speechcanbeusedatwillinsomeprograms(usefulforthosewhoprefertoviewtextwithoutthedistractionofspeechunlesstheyencounterdifficulties)andtheselectedtextcanbehighlighted as it is heard. There are free alternativesthatcanbedownloadedfromthewebsuchasReadPlease 2003 but these requiretexttobepastedintoaseparatewindow.

BoththeWindows XP and Mac OS systemsoffertexttospeechfortheirsimpletextprogramsbutwithoutwordhighlighting.TextHelp Read and Write Gold, Kurzweil 3000 and ClaroRead Pluscanalsobeusedwithscannedpaper-basedtextwithopticalcharacterrecognition,notjustwithitemstakenfromtheweb.

SomelearningmaterialsarepresentedinAdobeAcrobatPDFformatandthesecanbereadwithPdf AloudinTextHelpReadandWrite Gold, ClaroRead Plus and Kurzweil 3000, whichusesitsvirtualprintertopresentfiles.ItisimportanttonotethatPDFfileshavetobesavedinanaccessibleformatandcanbeadaptedforeasierreadingusingPDFaccessibilityeditor.

A useful handheld tool is the Reading Pen. DesignedforuserswithreadingorlearningdisabilitiesorthoselearningEnglishasasecondlanguagethishand-helddeviseprovidesadefinitionofascannedwordorlineoftext.Individualwordsareenlargedonthedisplayandmaybespelledout,orbrokenintosyllables.Scannedwordsanddefinitioncanbereadaloudwiththeproduct’sminiaturisedtext-to-speechtechnology.

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Writing on to the screen

Thiscanposeproblemsiftypingskillsareinsufficientlyadvancedtotheextentthattheyholdupthoughtprocesses.Forthosewithmemorydifficultiesitisalltooeasytoforgetwhatneedstobewrittenwhilstsearchingforthecorrectletterkeysonthekeyboard.However,forsomeindividuals,thetactilenatureofspellingthroughthekeyboardpatterns,ratherthanthroughpenstrokes,canbeveryhelpful.GoodkeyboardingprogramssuchasKas or Typing Instructor Encorecanencouragereluctanttypists.Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing(availableinchildren’sandadultversions)isalsopopular.Forthosewhoprefertolearntouchtypingfromamanual,Easy Type is handy and clearlylaidout.Anotherusefulprogrammeisthecomputer-basedTouch Type Read and Spell whichiswellestablishedinanumberofoffendersettingsanddescribedinChapter9.

Speechrecognitionisanotheroptionifdictatingisthepreferredmethodoftextinputandthelearningmaterialsallowtheuseofexternaltextinputprograms(suchastheDragonPadapplicationusedwithDragon NaturallySpeaking or iListen on the Mac),ortheformscantakedirectdictation.Usingspeechrecognitionrequirestrainingandanabilitytoworkwithcontinuousflowingsentencesplusspokenpunctuation.Dictatingisaskillinitsownrightandperfectresultsmaynotbeachievedovernight.Itisoftenassumedthatdictationsoftwarewillinsertcorrectgrammar,punctuationandthelayoutofthetextautomatically;unfortunatelythisisnotthecase.

Takingbreaksbecomesanessentialpartoftheprocesstopreventoverload.Itisalsoessentialtobeabletoproofreadaccuratelyasthespeechrecognitionpackagedoesnotmakespellingmistakesbutmayinsertwordsthatsoundsimilartothosechosenbytheuser.Thesewordscancausesentencestobecomeunintelligibleandtheusermay,on

re-reading,becomeconfusedbytheresult,andbeunabletorecallwhatwasoriginallyintended.However,itshouldbestressedthat,forotherindividuals,thisformoftextinputcanbehighlysuccessfulwithexcellentaccuracyrates.

Ifthereisarequirementtomakenotesorwriteanswerswhilstleavingthelearningmaterialsonthescreen,itmaybehelpfultouseadigitalrecordingdevicesuchasanOlympus, Sony or Philipsrecorder,whichcanbeusedtotranscribetheaudiofileintoaspeechrecognitionpackagelaterintheday.

E-learningmaterialsarerarelyfoundwithprogramsthatofferfullspellchecking,dictionaryorthesaurusfacilities.HoweverTextHelp Read and Write Standard or Goldcanprovidethesefacilitieswithmostprograms.SpellcatcheroffersspellcheckingfromthetaskbarandWrite Outloud offers similarfacilitieswithinitsownprogram.

SeparateCD-baseddictionariesareavailable,thatoffersupportwithsubjectspecificitemssuchasbusinessstudies.BloomsburyPublishinghasawiderange,and the Oxford Talking DictionaryisavailablefromOxfordUniversityPress.Attimesitmaybeusefultohaveahandheldspellcheckeranddictionarynearby,suchasthoseproducedbytheFranklinDivisionofSeikoUKLtd.Thesepockethandheldscanbeusefulifthee-learningmaterialstakeprecedenceonthescreenandthereisnoaccesstoalternativespellcheckers.

Ahandheldcalculatormaybemoreuser-friendlythantheon-screenversionwhenworkingwithscienceornumeracybasedlearningmaterials.Alternativelytoolswithspeechandcolouroptionsmaybepreferable,suchasthosefoundinTextHelp Read and Write Gold or the Big Calculator for WindowswithspeechandmagnificationfromSensory Software.

Whenworkingatamoreadvancedlevel,

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outlinersandbrainstormingsoftwarecanbeusedtocollectandorganiseideaswhilstworkingwithon-linematerials.Inspiration, MindManager, Mind Genius, the linear Jot notesorscreenbasedstickynotesareallusefultoolstoaidmemoryandtheorganisationofideas.Theseprogramsallowforthecontenttobeexportedintoawordprocessingpackageandsomeprovideanoutlineversiontoformtheshapeofaprojector essay. Microsoft PowerPointcanalsobeusedinthiswayandtheslidescanbeshuffledlikecardstohelpwithsortingideasandprioritising.

Howeveritisimportanttobeawarethatthe‘hightech’optionsmaynotsuitalldyslexiclearners,asGinaexplains.

SomeonesuggestedthatItriedvoice-activatedsoftwarebutIfoundthatfarfromeasy.Ifounditquitedifficulttoslowdownmythoughtstospeakthemclearlyenoughintothecomputeranditwasafurtherordealtryingtorememberallthecommands.IntheendIdecidedthatIwouldperseverewiththetyping.AlthoughIstillgetmanyofthelettersjumbledandoutoforder,Icanusuallyspotmymistakeswiththeaidofaspellcheckerandbyreadingmyworkoutaloudafterwards.

E-learning and Dyspraxia

Onthewhole,hardwareismoreimportantthansoftwarewhenitcomestodyspraxia.Havingthecorrectergonomickeyboardwithlargekeys,atleasta17inchmonitor,therightchairandtherightmouseforaparticularindividualcanmakealotofdifference.Alltheequipmentneedstobeplacedintherightpositionfortheindividualconcerned;feetshouldbeabletotouchthegroundandthemonitorshouldnotbetoohighorlow.

Micecanbesloweddowntomakethemeasiertocontrolespeciallywhenhighlighting

apieceofwork.Somepeoplemayfinditeasiertocontrolarollerballmouseandothersananirmouse(shapedlikeajoystick).

Softwaresuchastexthelpcanalsobebeneficial,aswellasmanystrategiesthatareusedfordyslexiclearners(peoplewithdyspraxia,liketheirdyslexiccounterparts,tendtohaveshorttermmemoryproblems).Organisationofworkcanbehelpedwithmindmapprograms(seeprevioussectiononoutlinersandbrainstormingsoftware).

E-learning and Attention Deficit Disorder

ThefollowingtoolshavebeenfoundparticularlyappropriatetolearnerswithADD:Mindmappingsoftwarewithpictureshelpsindividualstostructuretheirthoughtsandtoremembertheirideas.Microsoft PowerPoint canbeusedinasimilarway,toorganisethoughtsandideascoherently.Dragon Naturally Speaking assistsindividualswhothinkandspeakmorequicklythantheycanwrite;thisalsosupportstheweakshort-termmemoryandchaoticthoughtprocessesofpeoplewithADD.

Further Factors

Itshouldbestressedthatambientlightingandcomfortableseatingcanimprovecomfortandconcentrationlevels.Someindividualsfindreadingfromscreendifficultbecauseofglareorreflections,andtheseissuesneedtobe addressed.

Mostlearnerswithspecificlearningdifficultiesfindinterruptionsorextraneousnoiseshighlydistracting,preferringtoworkwithheadphonesorintheirownsurroundings. ICT issues and solutions Thetablebelowhighlightssomeoftheskillsrequiredwhenworkinginane-learningenvironment.Itofferscomputerbasedideasforsupportingtheseskillswiththetypesofequipmentavailable.

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How ICT can support dyslexic learners Equipment

READING

Assistivetechnologycanbypassthelabourof‘decoding’textbyreadingitaloud.ICTcanallowthelearnertofocusoncontent.Writtenworkcanbeproofreadaloud,enablingthewritertohearmistakes

Readbacksoftware/texttospeechreadersScanners/opticalcharacterrecognitionthatcanscan,displayand read text aloud.ReadingPensforscanningsinglewordsorphrases–oftenprovidingmeanings.

WRITING

Goodtypingskillsareveryhelpful.Wordpredictionsoftwareisuseful.Voicedictationintothecomputerispossiblebutlearnersneedtheabilitytoarticulatetheirthoughts,supplypunctuationandmanagetheprogram.

SpeechorVoicerecognitionsoftware.Digitalrecordersanddictaphonesideallywithacomputerlink-up.WordpredictionsoftwareTypingprograms

SPELLING

Goodvisualdiscriminationisneededforspellcheckers.Learnersmustbeabletorecognisethecorrectwordfromthealternativesgenerated.

Hand-heldorintegralspellcheckersElectronicdictionaries(thatreadthewordsaloud)

ORGANISATION

ICTcanhelporganisetheideasofvisual,holisticthinkersbycreatingavisualmapofthelearner’sideas,incorporatingsymbols,shapesandpictures.Lendsitselftomakinglinks/hyperlinks.

Dyslexicpeopleneedaremindersystemduetoshort-termmemoryproblems.Thosewholikealogical,systematicapproachoftentaketoelectronicpersonalorganisers..

Mindmappingprograms/creativesoftwaresuchasInspiration,MindGeniusandMindManager.

Personalorganisers/mobilephonesforaddresses,remindersetc.Map-readingsoftware(GPSnavigationsystems)

SPEAKING&LISTENING

Manydyslexicsneedtopracticetheirskillsrepeatedly.ICTisidealasitnevergetsboredorimpatient.Texttospeechprogrammescansometimescausedifficultyasthelearnerhastotuneintotheroboticvoicebuttheseareimprovingastechnologyadvances.Usingadigitalrecorderorthewindowsrecordercanhelplearnerswiththeirpronunciation.

Earobicsforadults–phonologicalawarenessprogramme.Windowsrecorder–recordsavoicefromamicrophonetoa.wav/MP3fileDragonNaturallySpeaking–speechrecognitionprogrammeFastForWordlanguageprogramme.www.speegle.co.uk(talkingsearchengine)

NUMERACYICTisidealtodemonstratenumeracyconcepts,whichcanthenberepeatedandreviewed.

Calculator,Excel,Numbershark3,MathTalkforspeechrecognitionandMaths.

InformationonallthetechnologiesmentionedinthisChaptermaybefoundontheEmpoweringTechnologiesDatabase:www.emptech.infoorontheADOEEOLSCD.

36


Procurement and Additional Learning Support

Section14oftheOffender’sLearningJourneyoutlinestheprinciplesofInclusiveLearningandAdditionalLearningSupportandreferstoanumberofkeydocuments.Withtheincreaseofe-learningandtherecognisedneedforassistivetechnologythesituationhasbecomeverycomplex.

Atthetimeofgoingtopress(early2007)thebestchanceofacquiringtheassistanceofenablingtechnologieswasthroughparticipationinPrisonICTAcademies(PICTA);ICTPathfinders;ICTprojects(suchasthelearndirectESFPathwaysProject)ortrialsinvolvinguseofICT(suchastheProgrammeforOffenderLearningAndResettlement-POLARIS).Sinceeducationandworkshoptrainingaretechnically‘employment’(prisonersreceivepayinbothinstances)theDisabilityEmploymentAdviser(DEA)fromJobCentrePlusshouldbecomeinvolved.Chapter8containsinformationontheroleoftheDEAandAccesstoWorkintheworkplace.InProbationprogrammes,provisionofassistivetechnologycurrentlydependsontheETEprovider.

Themainstreamfundingmechanismforprovidingextrasupportforlearnerswithlearningdifficultiesand/ordisabilitiesisAdditionalLearningSupport(ALS),providedthroughtheLearningandSkillsCouncil;theirwebsitecontainsup-to-dateguidanceonprocedures.TheauthorsofthisGuidehavebeenreferredtoFUNDINGGUIDANCEFORFURTHEREDUCATIONIN2006/07;relevantsectionsare:Section 8:ALSFundingArrangements(paragraphs431–487)Annex K:GuidanceonCompletingtheALScostsformforproviders(thisincludesarepetitionofparagraphs475–487fromSection8)Annex L:ALSBands

KeyextractsaregiveninAppendixg,at

theendofthisGuide.TheALSprocessisoutlinedonthepageopposite.TheoutcomeofthereviewofALSisthatoffendersaretreatedinthesamewayasotherlearners.

q specialist technologies are not an instant solution to dyslexic difficulties

q however they can greatly enhance an individual’s ability to access e-learning

q it is vital to match the technologies with both the user and the tasks to be undertaken

q the use of appropriate technology needs to be taught and practised in order to become a useful tool

q there is an obligation on education providers to ensure accessibility for learners with disabilities, as far as is reasonably possible

37


Flowchart of ALS Funding Mechanism

38

6 A DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT6 A DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Is ‘user-friendly’ for dyslexics ‘user-friendly’ for everyone?

TheAdultDyslexiaOrganisationwasaskedwhethersupporttechniquesandlearningtoolswhichweredevelopedasuser-friendlyforthosewithdyslexiawouldbenefitotherlearners.Theansweris‘Yes’ingeneralterms,becausetheseapproachesincreaseaccessibilityandimprovechancesofsuccess.

Howevertwofactorsshouldbeborneinmind:Firstly,givenadyslexia-friendlyenvironment,anabledyslexiclearnershouldmakegoodprogresswhereasanon-dyslexicslowlearnermaynotmovebeyondmasteringthebasics.Secondly,peoplewithavisualimpairmentneeddifferentadaptationsfrompeoplewithdyslexiainordertomaximisethevisibilityoftext.

AlthoughthisGuidefocusesondeliveryofICTande-learning,manyoftheserecommendationshaveageneralapplication.Westartwiththedevastatingeffectsofanondyslexia-friendlyapproach,asdescribedbyKathy

IdidsomecomputinginsidebutwasreleasedbeforeIcouldgetveryfarsoIdecidedtojoinaCLAITclass.Itwasthemostembarrassingthinginmyadultlife.Ifounditquitehardtokeepupandrememberwhattodofromoneweektothenext.IaskedtheteachertojotdownthelistofthekeysIneededtopressbuthedidnotgivemethepaperworkIneededsoItriedtokeepupbyscribblingeverythingdownbuthewentfartoofast.

WhenIaskedforhelphetoldmeitwasquiteobviousandlogical.Icouldseenothingobviousorlogicalaboutwhichfunctionkeystopressorkeepingtrackofwhentoclickontherightorleftsideofthemouse.Indeedworkingoutwhichsideofthemousewasrightorlefttookmeafewseconds,asIhadtolookatmywatchandweddingringtoworkout left or right.

Bythethirdsession,IwassolostthatIaskedthetutorifhewouldgothrougheverythingwithmesothatIcouldwritedowntheinstructions.Ithoughtno-onewouldnoticecoseveryoneelseseemedtobefinishingoffreadytogoforcoffee.“Butit’ssoobvious,”hesaidinaloudvoicewhichcausedeveryonetostopandstare,“allyouneedissomecommonsense”..Iwalkedoutofthatclassandhaveneverreturnedtocollege,Ifeltsoembarrassed.AllthememoriesofthetimesIhadstruggledinmychildhoodcamefloodingback.IttookmedaystofeelmoreconfidentandIwouldnotwishasimilarexperienceonanyone.

This chapter guides us through aspects of learning, identifying ways in which they can be made accessible and dyslexia-friendly. Topics include web accessibility and making your presentations dyslexia-friendly.

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6A DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The main features of a dyslexia-friendly learning environment

(i) Staff awarenessStaffneedanawarenessoflikelyproblemareasandsuitableapproachestolearningsupportiftheyaretoshowthenecessaryunderstandingandskills.Infactadultswithdyslexiahaveoftensaidthatclasses/courseswhichdonotshowawarenessofdyslexicdifficultiesandstrengthsareawasteoftimeandcandamagetheirconfidence.

Dyslexia-friendly approaches Tutors,trainersandsupportstaffrequiretrainingonadultdyslexia-boththedifficultiesandthestrengths,andhowthesecanaffectlearning/e-learning.

(ii) Giving instructionsBeawarethatpeoplewithdyslexiahavedifficultyretaininglong/compoundinstructions–whetherspokenorwritten.Theselearnersaremorelikelytoforgetpasswordsandusernames.

Dyslexia-friendly approaches Whengivingspokeninstructions,breakthemdownintologicalsectionsratherthangivingthemallatonce.Reassurethelearnerthatitisfinetocomebackandcheckasnecessary.Givepositivenotnegativeinstructions,•"Don'tforgettoturnthecomputeroffatthewall"becomes:Remember to turn the computer off at the wall.•"Makesureyoudon'tleaveyourfolderintheworkshop"becomes: Remember to bring your folder back here.Usequestionstocheckthatlistenerhasretainedkeyinformation,ratherthanasking“Anyquestions?”Writedownanynames,times,addresses.Useabuddysysteminclass,wherebyoffenderswithmoreexperienceofICTcanassistnewmembersofthegroup.Recordpasswordsandusernamesonacardwhichcanbeproducedasnecessary.Writteninstructionsshouldbeclearlydisplayed,followingtheguidelinesforMinimisingVisualStress(below).

MINIMISINGVISUALSTRESS:ISSUESofGOODPRACTICEandACCESSIBILITY

Incorporate, where possible: Avoid:

adequatespacing smallfonts(belowsize12)

justifyleft(leaveanunjustifiedrightmargin) ‘fancy’orunusualfontsanditalics

selectiveuseofboldandbulletpoints wholewordsorphrasesincapitalsthis undermines whole word recognition

diagrams,charts,iconsbrightwhiteorshinypapercream, or pale blue-grey are popular shades

pictogramsandgraphicsforsignposting

text in either red or greenthis is also an issue for colour-blind readers

illustrationswhichenhancemeaning illustrationswhichdistractthereader

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6 A DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

(iii) Induction and administrative proceduresManyadultswithdyslexiadreadhavingtocompleteforms-especiallyinfrontofothers.TheymayhavechosenICTbecausetheyexpecttogetstraightontoacomputerandbypasswriting.Unfortunatelythedrivetoimprovestandardshasledtoanincreaseindocumentationsuchaslearnercontractsandinductionpaperworkwhichmustoftenbecompletedbeforeacoursecanbegin.

Dyslexia-friendly approachesAservicerequirementoftheOffender’sLearningJourneystates:Enrolment processes will fully support equality of opportunity for all learners to enrol on courses appropriate to their needs and preferences. (0603)Routinelyask(discreetly)whetherhelpisneededwithform-filling.Haveasampleformonshow,withtheanswerscompletedforaMR/MRSSMITH.Allowtimetotalkthroughoptionsandaspectsofthecourseofstudywithpotentiallearners. Encouragethemtoairanyconcerns,providingprivacyifpossible,andcomebacktoyouasquestionsarise.

(iv) Providing support in learningSupportmaybeneededinarangeoflearningenvironments:one-to-one,classes,workshops,openlearning(suchaslearndirectcourses)anddistancelearning.The suggestions in this Guide should promotegoodpractice.

Dyslexia-friendly approaches Aimtoensureanelementofearlysuccesstobuildupconfidence.Bepreparedtoexplainterminology(possiblymorethanonce)-forexampledistinguishingbetweendatabasesandspreadsheets.Itmaybenecessarytobreakcomplextasksintoshorterchunks.Dyslexiclearnerswillprobablyneedmorepracticethantheirpeersbeforeproceduresbecomeautomatic.Checkwhethertheirlearningprogramwillneedcustomising.Wherepossible,buildinelementsofpersonalchoice.Wherepossible,encourageflexibilityinwaysofworkingsothatlearnerscantakebreaksandimplementcopingstrategiesWherepossible,offerheadphonesforthosewhowishtolistentotextastheyreadit.

(v) Learning materialsThefollowingrecommendationsrelatetopaper-basedandon-linelearningmaterials.The issue of learning styles arises here, as learnerswillvaryconsiderably.

Dyslexia-friendly approachesContentmustbesequentialandprogresslogicallyfromonestagetothenext.Languageshouldbestraightforward,conciseandnon-patronising;children’smaterialsmustbeavoidedatallcost!Contextualisedmaterialsaregenerallymoreinteresting,aslongaslearnerscanrelatetothem.AllmaterialsshouldfollowguidelinesforreducingVisualStressandbefreefromdistractingfeatures.Duetodifferentstylesoflearning,somepeoplepreferadivergentmindmapping/spidergramformat,othersfindalinearformatmorehelpfulwithflowcharts,bulletpointsandlistedprocedures.Consistentuseofgraphics/iconsprovidesausefulmarker,enablinglearnerstoanticipatewhatiscomingnextandfindtheirwayroundmaterialsmoreeasily.

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6A DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

(vi) AccreditationStaffmustbearinmindthatmanylearnerswithdyslexiabecomeveryanxiousabouttestsituations.Theymayhavehadpastexperiencesoffailureandfearthattheirdyslexicproblemswillhandicapthem,asEdexplains:

IfeelIamverydisadvantagedifIamgiventestsorhavetocompletetimedexercisesonthecomputer.Ifailedmyveryfirstexam(aboutspreadsheets)becauseIhadtocopynumbersacrossandplacethemintherightcolumn-Ikeptlosingtheplaceandhavingto start again.NowIrealiseIcanhaveextratime,Iaskforit.ItmeansIcangoreallyslowlyandnotstarttopanicandmakemistakes.

Dyslexia-friendly approachesWeoweittothosewhohavefailedfirsttimeroundtodoallwecantoensuresuccess.Findoutwhetherthereisflexibilityinthemethodofcourseaccreditation.Multiplechoicequestions,forexample,donotgenerallysuitlearnerswithdyslexiawhofindittrickytodistinguishbetweensimilaroptionsandcannotholdthequestionintheirheadwhileconsideringthealternativesolutions.Checkwhetheralearnerwithdyslexiaispermitted‘accessarrangements’suchasextratimeortheuseofareader.Ifso,theissueofprovidingaseparateroommayarisesos/heisnotdisturbedbythecomingsandgoingsofothercandidatesanddoesnotdisturbthemifareaderisused.

Unfortunatelysomee-learningcoursesandqualificationsarenotdyslexia-friendly.Themaincomplaintfromcandidatesisthattheyarenottestedonwhattheyhadexpectedfromthecontentofthecourse.Dyslexia-friendlyfeaturesoftestinginclude:• selfcheckingexercises,whichprotect

selfesteem.• tickboxes• matchingexercises(whichdrawonthe

skillofwordrecognitionratherthanthemoredemandingskillofrecall)

Alltheabovearewelcomefeaturesofon-linelearning.

Web-based materials: issues of accessibility• Informationshouldbeprovidedaboutthe

site’slayout,e.g.sitemap• Navigationmechanismsshouldbe

consistent• Largeblocksofinformationshouldbe

dividedintomanageablesections• Thetarget/destinationofeachlinkshould

beclearlyidentifiedbyahighlightedlabelorphrase

• Provideatextequivalentforeverynon-textelement,e.g.images

• Labelsandtextequivalentsofnon-textelementsshouldbeclearlyidentified

• Languageshouldbeclearandstraightforward

• Multimediapresentationsshouldincludeanaudiodescriptionofimportantvisualinformation.

• Interactivecontentshouldbecompatiblewithnon-standardinputdevices(e.g.switchaccess)andspecialisttechnologies(e.g.screenreaders)

• Pagesshouldbeusablewheninteractiveelements(e.g.scripts)arenotsupported

• Users should be able to turn off the following:flickering,blinking,movingcontent,pop-upwindows,changingcontentinopenwindows

• Ifyoucannotmakeapageaccessible,providealinktoanalternativepagethathasequivalentinformationand/orfunctionality,andisupdatedasoftenastheinaccessible(original)page

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6 A DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Making a presentation ‘dyslexia-friendly’

ThissectionisparticularlyrelevanttoInductionandResettlementstaff,InformationAdvice&Guidance(IAG)personnelandtrainers.

Thefollowingaspectsofgoodpracticeshouldbeborninmind.Ømakethepresentationmultisensoryi.e.

spokeninformation,reinforcedbyvisualinputand,ifpossible,aparticipatoryelement

Øprovideasimplehandout,containingoutlineinformationandanycontactdetails

Øusegraphicsaswellaswordsontheslides and handout

Øuseadyslexia-friendlyfontsuchasComicSansorArielinatleast12pointforhandouts,aslargeaspossibleforslides

Ø‘chunk’theinformation,iegiveabitatatime,thensummariseorcheckwithquestionsbeforecontinuing

Ømakeitpersonal-useacasestudytheycanidentifywith

Øinvitequeriesasyougoalongratherthanat the end

Ødrawonanyexperiencefromwithinyouraudienceinordertoinvolvethem

Ødon’trush,givetheoffenderstimetogather their thoughts

Ensuretheaudienceunderstandswheretheycangoforfurtherhelpe.g.PersonalOfficer,SOVA,JobcentrePluspersonaladviser,ProbationOfficer,CitizensAdviceBureau.

q staff awareness of likely problem areas is essential

q course induction requires particular sensitivity

q always be ready to listen to the learner

q dyslexia-friendly features will benefit other learners

43

7COMPLYING WITH DISABILITY LEGISLATION 7COMPLYING WITH DISABILITY LEGISLATION

The Disability Discrimination Act

In1995thedutiestowardspeoplewithdisabilitieswereenshrinedintheDisabilityDiscriminationAct(DDA)whichdefinessomeonewithadisabilityasfollows:a person has a disability if he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to day activities. DisabilityDiscriminationAct(1995)Part1.

TheDDAinitiallydealtwiththesphereofemployment,outliningareasofpotentialdiscriminationand‘reasonable adjustments‘tohelpoffsettheeffectsofdisability;theserequirementswillbediscussedinthefollowingchapteronResettlementandEmployment.ThestipulationsoftheActhavesincebeenextendedtoincludeaccesstogoods,facilities, servicesandproperty,togetherwithasectiononeducationandtraining.PartIVoftheAct(alsoknownastheSpecialEducationalNeeds&DisabilityActorSENDA,2001)putsanobligationonprovidersofeducationortrainingtomakeanefforttocaterforlearnerswithdisabilities. Inthisarena,theconceptofdiscriminationhingesontreatingsomeonewithadisabilitylessfavourablythananon-disabledlearner.Allfull-time,part-timeandtemporarystaffmustcomply.Placesofeducationandtrainingmusthaveidentificationandsupportstrategiesinplaceand,crucially,anticipate specialneeds-inspectionswillassesstheseareas.‘Reasonable adjustments’shouldbeworkedouttoensureaccessibilityforlearnerswithdisabilities.

The contexts of dyslexia and offending

Inthecontextofdyslexia,thefollowingprovisionsareappropriate:§Providersmustmakeanefforttofindout

aboutlearners’disabilitiesandlearningdifficulties.

§Thesedifficultiesshouldbeassessedandoutcomesshouldfeedintoalearningplan.

§Classes,learningprogrammesandtrainingshouldbeaccessibletodyslexiclearners.

§Learningsupportand‘reasonable adjustments’shouldbeavailable.

§Obligationsextendtoallstaffinvolvedinlearningprovision.

Examplesofreasonable adjustments mightincludeassistivetechnologysuchasreadbacksoftwarewithheadphones;extratimeintests/exams;theavailabilityoftestpapersinalternativeformats.

PrisonServiceOrder(PSO)2855Prisoners with DisabilitiesstatesthatallgovernorsandprisonstaffmustabidebytheDDAandprovideopportunitiesfordisclosure,assessmentandconfidentialrecordingofinformationaboutanindividual’sdisability.

TheissueofassessmentispickedupintheOffender’sLearningJourney:The learning provider will assess learners’ needs for additional support(ServiceAgreement0403)butthisserviceisnotalwaysavailableforyoungoffendersoradultprisoners.Youngpeople/Juvenilesenjoyagoodstaff-pupilratiooneducationmaystilllackspecialisedhelporassistivetechnology.Itisunfortunatethatsomeofthelearnerswhomostneedthiskindofassistance

We need to be aware of our obligations to offenders with dyslexia and other Specific Learning Difficulties under mainstream disability legislation. Two principle pieces of legislation are considered here – the Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Equality Duty

44

7 COMPLYING WITH DISABILITY LEGISLATION

maybedenieditbythechallengesoffullyresourcingoffendereducationandtraining.

Fortunatelytherearepocketsofgoodpracticeastheinsertsbelowillustrate:

Staff preparations

PartIVoftheDDArequireseducationmanagerstoplanaheadforlearnerswithadditionalneeds.Whatcaneducationdepartmentsandprobationtutors/trainersdotocomply?Ausefulchecklistisprovidedin Supporting adult learners with dyslexia (NIACEe-guidelines,9),pp18,19.Therole of differentiated learning is stressed, togetherwiththepreparationspractitionersandmanagerscanmaketosupporttheselearners.Examplesofpreparationinclude:Look up websites about dyslexiaEnsure that tutors can change the background colours in Word and Powerpoint.

Thetwoprisonsshowcasedbelowaregettingtogripswiththeissues.

IntheEducationDepartmentofHMPMaidstoneafulltimememberofstaffhasbeenappointedtoensureappropriateidentificationofandprovisionforoffenderswithspecificlearningdifficulties.Alleducationstaffhaveattended‘inhouse’dyslexiaawarenesstrainingandsomehavetakentheCfBTSupporting Dyslexic Learners course.Thistraining,togetherwithawellstockedbankofdyslexia-friendlyresources,isbeginningtoproduceawealthofgoodpractice.

AtHMYOIRochester,alloffendersareroutinelyscreenedfordyslexiausingtheADOchecklistduringtheirinductioninterview.Thosewhoareconsideredtobe‘atrisk’arethenscreenedusingthecomputerbasedLADSPlusscreeningtool.Iftheyarescreenedasbeingatmoderateoraboveriskofbeingdyslexic,theyareofferedaplaceonaTouchTypeReadandSpell(TTRS)coursewhichalsoincludesweeklyindividualtuitionwithaspecialisttutor.This prisonalsoarrangedforanOCNaccreditedcourseonsupportingthedyslexiclearnertoberunforagroupofitsstaff.

MoreaboutTTRSinchapter9

The Disability Equality Duty

FromDecember2006,theDDAhasbeenamendedbytheDisabilityEqualityDuty,whichplacesadutyonallpublicbodiestopromotedisabilityequality.Althoughnospecificinformationwasavailableaboutoffendersettingsatthetimeofpublication,thisDutyislikelytoincludetheeducationandtrainingservicesprovidedbycollegesinthedrivetomainstreamprovisionforoffenders.

ThestepstakentobringaboutdisabilityequalityareenshrinedinaDisabilityEqualityScheme;thiswilllayouthowtheorganisation/institutionwillarriveatanActionPlanwhichwillbetteraddresstheneedsofthisdiversegroup;howpeoplewithdisabilitiesaretobeinvolvedintheproductionofthisplan;howinformationwillbegatheredandanalysed;whattheimpactofproposedactivitieswillbeonpeoplewithdisabilities;progressandreviewarrangements.

TheprisonservicehasproducedanoverallDisabilityEqualityDutywhichindividualprisonscancustomise.

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7COMPLYING WITH DISABILITY LEGISLATION

TheDisabilityRightsCommissionisoverseeingthisprocessandhasthepowertoissuecompliancenoticesasappropriate.

FurtherInformationTheDisabilityRightsCommissionproducearangeofpublications.SENDAisdealtwithin their Code of Practice Post-16. Disability Discrimination Act: Part 4. www.drc-gb.orgInformationisalsoprovidedontheSKILLwebsite:www.skill.org.ukTheDDAcanbeviewedon www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/199550SENDAcanbeviewedon www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2001/20010010NOMSproducesaquarterlypublicationcalled‘InsideDisability’whichpromotesbestpracticewithregardtodisabilityinoffendersettings.TheTechDiswebsitecontainsawealthofinformationonaccessibilityissues.www.techdis.ac.ukTheResourceBankinthisGuidelistsusefulorganisationsandmaterials.TheCentreforBritishTeachers(CfBT)EducationTrustcourseSupporting Dyslexic Learners,whichisdeliveredpartlyorwhollybydistancelearning,hasasuiteofmodulesinthecontextofOffending.www.cfbt.com

q people with disabilities have rights in education and training

q preparation should be made in anticipation of learning needs

q ‘accessibility’ is a key issue

q people with disabilities should be involved in discussions on provision

46

8 ICT IN RESETTLEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT8 ICT IN RESETTLEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

TheSocialExclusionUnitreportof2002(Reducing Re-offending by Ex-Prisoners) estimatedthatre-offendingcostthecountry£11billionayear;thisfigurehasincreasedyear by year. It is therefore essential to establishwhattheriskfactorsare.

Reducing Re-Offending Through Skills and Employment summarisesthegovernment’skeyaiminitstitlealoneandstressestheneedforgreaterconsistencyinworkpreparationprogrammes.Thisdocumenthasnowbeenrefinedandfocusedbyaprogressreport,Reducing Re-Offending Through Skills and Employment: Next Steps,whichidentifiesthefollowingprioritiesupto2010:• engagingemployersthroughthe ReducingRe-offendingCorporate Alliance• buildingonOLASS,includingviathe campusmodel• reinforcingtheemphasisonskillsand jobsinbothprisonsandprobation.

TheOffender’sLearningJourneyquotessomerecentstudies,concluding:Research has shown that employment can reduce the risk of re-offending by between a third and a half.(Section06Introduction).Butthechallengeisimmensewhen,accordingtothePrisonReformTrust;half of all prisoners do not have the skills required for 96% of jobs and only one in five is able to complete a job application form(PrisonFactfile,Nov2006).

Resettlementworknowcomesearlierinthesentenceandemployerinvolvementisseenascrucialateverystage.Howwilldyslexicdifficultiesimpactinaworkplacesetting?Firstwemusttakeastepbackandconsiderworkpreparationandtraining.

Work preparation and training

ThesupportissuesdiscussedearlierinthisGuidearealsoessentialforsettingssuchasworkshopsandvocationaltraining(whichincreasinglyincludesembeddedlearningcomponents).Ifthedeliverymethodsandlearningmaterialsarenotdyslexia-friendly,adaptationsmayneedtobemade,asoutlinedinChapter6.Chapter4highlightedtheimpactofkeyskillrequirementsonweaknumeracyskills;thiswillaffectaconsiderableproportionofoffendersbutthosewithdyslexiaordyscalculiawillfacemoreintractabledifficulties.

Alargerangeofcoursesarenowavailablewhichdevelopemployabilityskillsoflearnerswithbasicskillsneeds.Examplesincludethe Skills and Workmaterials,whichfocusondifferentoccupations;CDRomsfromthe Adult Financial Capacity Framework andaselectionofPlusmaterialsdevelopedonbehalfoftheYouthJusticeBoardwhichengagelearners’intereststhroughprojectworkinfashion,digitalmusic,environmentalconstructionetc.AlltheaboveareavailablefromtheBasicSkillsAgency.

Entry to Employment(E2E)isinwidespreadusefortrainingadolescents.Itisdescribedasaflexible,learner-centredcourse,designedtomotivatedisaffectedlearnersandimproveskillsinthefollowingareas:Personal and Social skills; Skills for Life and Key Skills; ‘Employability’.Itcanbedeliveredinadyslexia-friendlywayusingtheteacherguidanceanddifferentiationadviceintheDfESEmbeddedLearningMaterialspack,whichaimtoincreaseaccessibility.EmployabilityresourcesfromTribalincludeWorking Knowledge: Getting a Job whichhelpsdevelopICTskills.

Work-based training, work experience, resettlement and settled employment are key focuses of reducing re-offending strategies. In these important areas dyslexia can be an issue. Appropriate provisions often include ICT.

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8ICT IN RESETTLEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

In the Offender’s Learning Journey learning providersareencouragedto:work to raise standards in work-related learning by developing new approaches to meet the needs of offenders(Section06Introduction).NewapproachesareincreasinglyexpectedtoincludeICTande-learninginordertomotivatelearnersandprepareforaworkplacethatislargelycomputerliterate.Recentfiguressuggestthat90%ofalljobsnowrequireICTskills(NIACEfigure

Speaking and Listening Skills

AlthoughtheoverallfocusforthisGuideissupportine-learning,skilldevelopmentintwolinkedareasmustnotbeneglectedifoffendersaretobesuccessfullyreintegratedintosocietyandtheworkplace.TheseskillsareSpeakingandListening,alsoreferredtoasCommunicationSkills.TheirimportancehasbeenflaggedupbyinclusionintheSkills for LifecurriculumandbyresearchundertakenbytheDyscoveryCentre,Cardiff,whichcomparedthepopulationofacertainprisonwithacontrolgroup,intermsofsocial&communicationskills,co-ordination,literacyandattention&concentrationdifficulties.The HMP group showed a generally higher score profile across all domains than the control group. The area of social and communication difficulties is the one that stands out and may not have been considered routinely in profiling individuals coming into the prison, which may in fact pose the greatest problem when leaving prison…. Social and communication difficulties, coupled with poor literacy skills, may have a cumulative effect on the outcome in a range of settings socially, educationally and in employment. In the context of this research these difficulties may have a considerable influence on recidivism rates. A lack of social and communication skills affects individuals in all areas of their lives. Individuals may present as angry, reluctant, aggressive or as loners, because a lack of understanding of the nuances of their social setting and what is then expected of

them. This may be misconstrued by others and this consequently may lead them into further troubles.(IdentificationandImplicationofSpecificLearningDifficultiesinaPrisonPopulation,2005)CoursesbytheEnglishSpeakingBoardhaveprovedpopularinprisonsasawayofimprovingself-expression.Afurtherreporthashighlightedthebenefitsofspeechtherapy.Communicationwithpotentialemployersisdoublydifficultforsomeoffenderswhofacedisclosureofunspentconvictionsand the issueofdisclosingdyslexia.Discussioninasafeenvironmentisagoodwayofopeninguptheseareas.Thepotentialemployeeshouldbeguidedthroughwhatquestionstoexpect,howtheymightexplaintheirdyslexia-emphasisinghowtheycompensatefortheirdifficulties.Learnersshouldhavethechancetopractiseansweringthesequestions,startinginaninformalrelaxedwaybyencouragementtothinkaloud.Oncethey are enabled to organise their thoughts andformulateresponses,interviewpracticeshouldbecomemoreformal.Thelearnerisnowseatedbehindatable.Guidanceshouldbegivenonconventionssuchasgreetingswhenenteringaroom,shakinghandsattheendoftheinterviewetc.Anotheraspectofinterviewsispsychometrictestingwhichisincreasinglyusedandoftencomputer-based.APhDstudyformulatedthehypothesis‘Dyslexics are disadvantaged if they have to sit psychometric tests as part of the job selection process’andconcludedthat this wasthecasefortheobviousreasonsoftimeconstraints/lackofbreaksbutalsobecausetestsprobedareasofdifficultybutseldomtouchedonareasofstrength(suchaslateralproblemsolvingorspatialreasoning).Physicalfactorssuchasfluorescentlightinganddistractionswerealsoproblematic.Thestudyfoundthatemployersliketothinktheyaccommodateemployeeswithdisabilitiesbuttheirlackofknowledgemayunderminethisaim.

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8 ICT IN RESETTLEMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

Skills for form filling

Ex-offendersareconfrontedwithamassiveamountofform-fillingiftheyaretoapplyforbenefits,grants,accommodationandjobs.Thisactivityimpingesonclassicareasofdifficultyforthedyslexicadult.Thechartbelowsummariseslikelyproblemareasalongsideanoverviewofsupportstrategies.Again,preparationworkshouldbeginwellbeforerelease.

SKILLS FOR FORM FILLING STRATEGIES FOR SUPPORT

Comprehension Discussreasonforfillinginform.Scanformforanoverview.Discussindividualquestions.

Reading Readthroughformwith/forlearner.Usecolouredhighlighterforkeywords.

Writingandspelling Practiseconstructinganswersonroughpaper.Useanelectronicspellcheckerordictionary.Discussconventionsofformfilling.

Clearhandwritinginblackink Photocopyform,learnercanpractisefillinginadraft. Fillinformforlearner.

Organisation Scanformforanoverview.Markanyoptionalorconditionalquestions.

Sequencing Scanformforanoverview.Highlighttricky/optionalquestionswithstickymarkers.

Informationprocessing Offeraprivate,supportiveenvironmentsothelearnerisnotunderpressureandallowplentyoftimeforthought.

Visualperception Photocopyform,enlargeandprintonpaletintedpaper.

Attention/concentration Takefrequentbreaks.Usecolouredhighlighterforkeywords.

49


Disability Legislation

Itisworthknowingthat employersdisplayingthe Two Ticks symbol should offer an interviewtoanyonewithadisabilitywhohastheminimalqualificationsforthepost.

TheDisabilityDiscriminationAct(DDA)hasbeenmentionedinthecontextofeducationandtraining(previouschapter).Thislegislationgivespeoplewithadisability(suchasdyslexia)certainrightsinemployment.Anemployermustnotdiscriminateagainstadisabledpersonforareasonrelatingtothedisabilityinthefollowingareas:recruitment,workpractices,promotion,transfers,training,professionaldevelopmentandthedismissalprocess.Discriminationincludestheunderminingofcopingstrategies.

Thefollowingexample,takenfromDisabilityDiscriminationActdocumentation,relatestotheinterviewprocess.

Amanwhoisdisabledbydyslexiaappliesforajobwhichinvolveswritingletterswithinfairlylongdeadlines.Theemployergivesallapplicantsatestoftheirletterwritingability.Themancangenerallywritelettersverywellbutfindsitdifficulttodoso in stressful situations. The employer’s arrangementswouldmeanhehadtobeginhistestimmediatelyonarrivalandtodoitinashorttime.Hewouldbesubstantially disadvantaged compared to non-disabled peoplewhowouldnotfindsucharrangementsstressfulor,iftheydid,wouldnotbesoaffectedbythem.Theemployerthereforegiveshimalittletimetosettleinandlongertowritetheletter.

TheDDArequiresanemployertotrytoaccommodatethedisabledemployee.Itisphrasedthatitistheemployer’sduty to do so but only in so far as it is reasonable. Thesearrangementsarereferredtoasreasonable adjustments. The Disability RightsCommissiondistinguishesbetween reasonable and unreasonable adjustments, providingthefollowinginstanceofanemployeewithdyslexia:

Asmallmanufacturingcompanyusuallyhandsoutwrittencopiesofallitspoliciesbywayofinductiontonewemployeesandgivesthemhalfadaytoreadthedocumentationandtoraiseanyquestionswiththeirlinemanager.Anewemployeehasdyslexiaandtheemployerarrangesforhersupervisortospendamorningwithhertalkingthroughtherelevantpolicies.Thisislikelytobeareasonableadjustment.

Otherexamplesofreasonable adjustments couldbethesupplyofadictaphonefororalnotesorread-backsoftware.

Inthesphereofpsychometrictestingduringrecruitmentitwouldbereasonabletoallowextratime(normallyfifteenminutesperhourofthetest),breaks,questionsreproducedontintedpaperandwellspaced.Insomesituations,audioversionsofquestionsmaybeprovided,asintheTheoryDrivingTest.

Sometimesreasonable adjustments are paidforbyAccess to Work-apartnershipbetweenJobcentrePlusandtheEmployerwhichcanpayfortechnologicalaids,trainingintheiruseandhumansupport(asnecessary).ContactshouldbemadewiththeDisabilityEmploymentAdvisoratthelocalJobCentrePlus.AssistanceisdependentonanappraisalofworkplaceneedswhichisgenerallycarriedoutatoneoftheregionalAccesstoWorkBusinessCentres.TheAccesstoWorkAdvisorisabletoprovideinformationabouttheprocessinvolvedandaboutappropriatesupport/equipment.AccesstoWorkappliestoanypaidjob,part-

50


timeorfull-time,permanentortemporary.Inthecaseofthosewhohavedyslexia,thesupportislikelytoincludecomputer-basedtechnologies.

Akeyissueindeterminingwhatresourcesaresuppliedistheextenttowhichtheemployeeisableandwillingtoworkwithtechnology.Somewillprefertousecalendars,diaries,stickynotesandlistswhereasothersarereadytoembracetechnologicalinnovationsandfindthattheabilityoftechnologytoassistwithreading,writing,calculationsandnavigationsuitthemwell.Theauditoryandgraphicalfeedback,whichisincreasinglyafeatureofICTsolutions,providesamulti-sensoryapproachthatisanappropriatewayforadultswithdyslexiatocopewithvariousaspectsoftheirwork.

ThefollowingsectionsexploreICTsolutionstoanumberofwork-relatedareas.Webeginwithsupportfororganisationalskillsandshort-termmemory.

Support for organisation and memory

TheissueoforganisationwasraisedinChapter3andshowntobeacoreaspectofthechallengemany(ex-)offendersface,letalonethosewithdyslexiaorrelateddifficulties.Technicalaidsincludethefollowing:Microsoft Outlook,whichcomesaspartoftheMicrosoftOfficepackage,canhelpwithorganisationbytakingonfunctionssimilartoanappointmentdiary,addressbook,tasklistsandnotesthatcanbeupdatedatanytime.Soundalertscanbeaddedtoappointmentsasremindersandthesecanbesynchronisedwithsomemobilephonesorpersonaldigitalassistants(PDAs)sothattheuserhasacopyoftheentirediarysystemwhenonthemove.However,thesedevicestendtofollowahierarchicalpatternofreminderswithlinearlayout;thismaynotbethebestwayofworkingforsomewith

dyslexia.

Sinceshort-termmemoryisgenerallylimitedinpeoplewithdyslexia,theyshouldalwaysbeadvisedtomakenotesofphoneconversations.Thesecanthenbereadbacktothespeaker,inordertochecktheinformationhasbeenrelayedcorrectly.Usingarecordertorecallimportantconversationsorphonemessagescanbeveryhelpfulforthosewhoneedtore-listentoinformationinordertoretainit(andmaylackliteracyskills).Digitalrecordersarediscrete,produceverygoodsoundoutputandcanbeusedtorecordone’sownspeech;thereisalsotheoptionofconversiontotextviaspeechrecognitionsoftware.

Support for navigation

Whenitcomestonavigationaids,therearemanychoicesincludingtheHandheld Global Positioning Systems(GPS).ThesetoolsmaybepartofaPDAsuchastheHP: iPAQ Pocket PC hx4700orjustmappingsoftwarewhichoffersacheapersolutionbutdoesnotactuallyguidetheuserlikeinteractiveGPS.TheAAandRACofferjourneydetailswithhighlightedmapsontheinternetandmultimap.com or streetmap.co.uk offer precisedetailsofabuilding’sposition,withaerialviewsaswellasmaps.

Support for calculations

Sequencingerrors,transposing/reversingnumbersorjumpinglinesofcalculationsareoftenhighlightedasdyslexic-typeerrors.Usingspreadsheetswithtexttospeechcanhelp,ascantalkinghandheldcalculators.Howeverboththetypicalhandheldcalculatorsandthecomplexgraphicalonesusedinmostoffices,sometimesfailtohelpthosewithdyslexiabecausethetextistoosmall,thesmallscreensunclearandthelefttorightlayoutunhelpful.

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Computer-basedonscreencalculatorsusuallyallowforadaptationsinfontandbackgroundcolourandevenadescendinglayoutforsumsandatalkingmode.Therearealsoseveralfreetalkingcalculatorsthatcanbedownloaded(e.g.BigCalculatorfromSensorySoftwareInternational).

Support for reading

Evenifreadinghasbeenmastered,adultswithdyslexiagenerallylacktheabilitytoskimorscaninformation.Ifthereisnosupportstrategy,ploughingthroughdocumentationislaboriousandexhausting.Oneapproachislisteningtotextsthroughaudiomeans;itishelpfultohavethewrittenversionavailableatthesametimetoenablethereadertohighlightkeypointsandmarksectionsthatrequirefurtherattention.

ICTsolutionstoreadingincludescanningtextbymeansofOpticalCharacterRecognition(OCR)andthenreadingitbackwithsynthesisedspeech;itisthenpossibletofollowthetextwhilstlistening.Readingandscanningpenscanalsobeusedwhenonthemove,totakeinshortamountsoftextthatcanbereadbackortotakeinonewordsothatthemeaningcanbereadbackthroughthepen’sdictionary.Thescanningpensoperateinconjunctionwithacomputerandsomehavediariesandaddressbooks.

ProgramssuchasMicrosoft Reader (http://www.microsoft.com/reader/) canbedownloadedtoacomputer,toprovideafreetext-to-speechprogram,dictionaryandhighlightingforcertainfileformats.AnotherfreeprogramisWordTalk (http://www.wordtalk.org.uk/)whichworkswithMicrosoftWord.Headphoneswillbenecessarysothatread-backsoftwaredoesnotdisturbcolleagues;thesearealsoaninvaluableaidtoconcentrationbecausetheycutoutbackgroundnoise.

Connectiontotheinternetcanbeimmensely

helpfulbutalsosomewhatstressfulduetoinformationoverload.SearchenginessuchasGoogle, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves offer endlesstrawlingfacilitiesfortheWorldWideWeband,bycombiningwiththetexttospeechprograms,theresultscanbereadback.AScottishcompanyhasnowproducedaspeakingversioncalledSpeegleandKarTOOoffersagraphical,insteadofalinearformat.

Support for writing

ICToffersdifferentwaysofpresentingideasingraphicalratherthanwrittenform,suchasmindmappingorconceptmapping.AlltheseprogramshaveoutlineversionswithgoodexportfacilitiesintootherMicrosoftOfficeprogramssuchasWordandPowerPoint.Theyworkinslightlydifferentwayssotheuserhastotrybeforebuyingthem;acomparisoncanbefoundonIansyst’swebsite,www.dyslexia.com.

Speechorvoicerecognitionsoftware,thatallowstheusertodictatetextintothecomputer,hasdevelopedrapidlyandtrainingtimeshavebeencutdrasticallyonpowerfulmachineswithamplememoryandagoodhead-setmicrophone.Theproblemisthattheuserneedstoknowhowtodictateandhavesomeunderstandingofpunctuationandwrittenlanguagesentencestructurewhichisdifferentfromspokenlanguage.Itmaybethatthesoftwareisusedfortheinitialdraftsandnotemakingandthenthekeyboardisusedforthefinalstages.

SpellcheckersareincorporatedwithinmostwordprocessingpackagesandhandheldpocketspellcheckersareavailablewithavarietyofdictionariesincludingCollins.Somehavethesaurus,dictionaryandhomophonefacilities.Themoreexpensiveversionshavespeechandlargerscreenswithbiggerkeys.

Accurateproofreadingisessentialas

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incorrectwordscanbemissedbecausetheymaysoundsimilartotheintendedwordwhenthescreenreaderisbeingused,forthisreasonhumanhelpispreferable.Trainingisessentialiffulluseofallthecommandsandshortcutsaretobelearntandtipsaretriedbeforefrustrationandvaluabletimeislost.Itisimportanttoallowtimebetweenwritingandreading–otherwisereadersonlyseewhattheyremembertheywrote.

AfteralongsentenceMartinwasreleasedfromprison.HehaddonearangeofICTcoursesthentrainedtomendcomputersinaPrisonICTAcademyestablishment(seeChapter9),duringwhichtimehewasscreenedaspossiblydyslexic.Ongettingworkasacomputerengineer,hecontactedthelocalDisabilityEmploymentAdviserandunderwentanassessmentbyaWorksPsychologist;theprocessincludedaworkplaceassessmentofhisneeds.UnderAccess to Work,Martinreceivedalaptopwithspeechinputandascreenreader.Inordertoassisthimwithorganisationandorientationhewasgivenanelectronicpersonalorganiserandasatellitenavigationsystem.Martinfeelshehasbeenwellsupportedandisworkinghardtomakeasuccessofhisjob.

Women into Work

AseriesofESFfundedprojectsbySOVA(SupportingOthersthroughVolunteerAction)focusedonidentifyingbarrierstoemploymentforfemaleex-offendersthroughpeerresearch.Keyfactorsinaddressingmultipledisadvantagesemergedasempowerment,anearlystarttoresettlementwork;partnershipworking;engagingemployers;recruitmentissues.Atoolkitwasproducedtohighlightdifferentaspectsofthework-emailwiw@sova.org.uk.ExecutivesummariesofthefiveWomenintoWorkpilotprojectsareonthewebsite:www.wiw.org.uk

Conclusion

ResearchfromtheNationalResearchandDevelopmentCentre(Research Resources: Working with Young Offenders)confirmsthatemploymentisakeyaimforyoungoffendersbutnotesthatalackofskillsisasmuchofabarriertoanex-offendergainingemploymentashis/hercriminalrecord.TheSocialExclusionUnitreport,Reducing Re-offending by Ex-Prisoners (2002)confirmsthatbecomingemployedisthebiggestfactorin‘positivecommunityre-integration’

ForinformationonaprojectbetweenRemployandDyslexiaActiontosupportworkerswithdyslexia,seewww.onrec.com/newsstories/15104.asp

q reducing re-offending through upskilling and employment and is a government priority

q speaking and listening skills are essential aspects of employability

q a wide range of technologies are available to assist people with dyslexia in the workplace

q the entitlements of employees with disabilities are laid out in the Disability Discrimination Act

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9SPOTLIGHT ON GOOD PRACTICE 9SPOTLIGHT ON GOOD PRACTICE

Thedeliveryplanforoffenderlearningcontainsanumberofchallengingcommitments,theseinclude:

• providinglearninginprisonscomparabletothatavailableinthecommunity;

• offeringimprovedaccesstoeducation,enablingoffenderstogaintheskillsandqualificationsneededtofindajob;

• creatingalearningenvironmentwithinprisonswhichencouragestheuseofe-learning.

Thischapterwilllookatanumberofinitiativesthatarerisingtothechallengeinthesphereofe-learning.

The European Social Fund / learndirect Pathways Project

learndirecthasbeenworkinginprisonssince2002.Theorganisationaimstosetupanetworkofcentresinprisonstoenableprisonerstocontinuetolearnandprogresswhentheyaremovedtonewlocations.Onrelease,theycanaccesstheircoursesinalocallearndirectcentre.Oneparticularprojecthasstartedtomakethisaimareality:

TheESFPathwaysProjectconcentratedondeliveringqualificationsinSkills for Life andITtoprisonersdueforreleasewithintwoyears.Prisonswerepartneredwithlocallearndirectcentrestoestablishclearroutesforprisonerstoprogresswiththeirlearning,forthedurationoftheirsentenceandthenonrelease.Forthefirsttime,learnersalsohadtheopportunitytoworkwiththesametutorbothpre-andpost-releasetoeasetransitionintoprobationandthecommunity.Alsonewwasthefactthatlearningrecordswere

transferred to the offender on release, along withauseridentificationnameandpasswordenablingthemtoaccesstheirlearningviathe internet.

Inthelifetimeofthisproject(Jan2005–Dec2006),learndirectdeliveredover300learndirectcoursestooffendersin12prisonsandcounty-basedprobationoffices.OneinstitutionthatbecameinvolvedwasHMPSwaleside,whichboastedanewon-sitecentre,thefirstofitskindinaclosedprison.

DennistookSkills for Lifecoursesalongsidehisworkshoptraining.

Ileftschoolearly,andbythattimeIwasalreadyintroublewiththepolice.IknowwhatI’mcapableof,butthefactisifyou’venotdoneitsinceschoolyougetrusty.Besides,youneedgoodmathsandEnglishtogetanywherenow–andyouneedtoknowaboutcomputers.Iwasinairconditioningmaintenancebefore,andI’dliketogobacktoit,maybesetupmyownbusiness.IfirstwantedtocomewhenIsawlearndirectdidawastemanagementcourse,whichwouldberelevant,andI’dliketogoontodowebpublishingsoIcanbuildabusinesswebsite.“Ididn’tthinkI’dlikebeingstuckinfrontofacomputer,butitactuallysuitsmetogoatmyownpace.It’snotlikeanylearningI’vedonebefore,andattheendofthedayI’mgettingsomethingoutofit.You’vegottothinkaboutgettingoutandwhatyou’regoingtododifferently,andyou’vegottograbwhateveryoucantohelpyoudoit.

ThelearndirectcentreatSwalesideallowslearnerstofollowarangeofcoursesonlineviaasecurewebconnectiontothe

There are a range of examples of good practice in delivering e-learning to offenders.Several projects will be highlighted which bring out different aspects and approaches. Useful materials will be discussed.

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9 SPOTLIGHT ON GOOD PRACTICE

learndirectdomainbutwithoutbeingabletoaccessthewiderinternet.It’sanidealfitforoffenders,whoareoftenatdifferentstages-workingone-to-onewithacomputertheycanlearndifferentthingsatdifferentspeeds,withoutcompetingwithpeersorbeingembarrassedinfrontthem–thisisvitalforlearnerswithdyslexia.Themodularstructureofcoursesgivesaquickresultandsenseofachievement. MikeHarrison,HeadofLearningandSkillsatHMPSwaleside,waspleasedwiththeuptake:“Wehopetheinformalityoflearndirectwillmakeitafirststepbackintolearningmanymightnototherwisehavetaken.”

Touch Type Read and Spell at HMYOI RochesterTTRS(TouchTypeReadandSpell)wasfirstintroducedintoHMYOIRochesterthroughstaffattheprisonChapelandwasrunintheeveningsbyvolunteers.Theprisonsoonrealisedthebenefitsoftheprogrammeandadopteditaspartoftheirmainstreameducationprovision.Itisnowruninthelearndirectcomputersuite,enablingatleast20offendersaweektotakepart.TTRSisofferedaspartoftheprovisionforthoseoffenderswhoareidentified‘atrisk’ofbeingdyslexicorwhohavelowerliteracyskills.Prisonerscometothesessionforanhourandahalf.Theycannottouch-typeforthatlengthoftime,sootherliteracybasedactivitiesareofferedaswell,includingindividualtuitiondevelopingreadingandspellingskillswithaspecialistdyslexiatutor.Itworksverywell.

Michelle,thecurrentTTRStutorsaid‘TTRSdoesnotsuiteverybody,butforthoseitdoes,theyenjoyitandreallybenefit.Itnotonlyteachesthemtouch-typingskillsbutalsotoreadandspellinastructuredwayusingasmanyoftheirsensesaspossible.Thekinaestheticapproachiseffective.The

computerscreenandheadphonesoftenhelpthelearnerstoconcentrateandfocusonthetask.’

SomeofthecurrentgroupofTTRSstudentshadthesecommentstomake:Chris:‘Yeh,it’sdefinitelyuseful.Verybeneficial!ThedyslexiateachinghelpsmetolistentosoundsandIcanusethattohelpmereadandspellinotherlessons.TTRSteachesmetoreadandspell,andtousethekeyboard;Itrynottolookatmyhands!’Kevin:‘It’shelpedmetoread.Iusedtojustlookatthepicturesonpage3,nowIcanreadthepaper!’Ross:‘TTRS-it’sinteractivelearning.Itallowsyoutolearnactively.Ilikecomputersandlearningonthecomputeriseasyforme.IdootherITcoursesaswell.’Sedleytyped:‘IlikeT.T.R.S.becauseithelpsmytypingskills.Italsohelpsmetospellwordsandpronouncethemproperly.Ithasmadememoreconfidentwithmyreading.InthesessionsIhavealsolearntaboutpunctuation,forexample,commas,fullstopsandwheretoputexclamationmarks.WithalltheseskillsIfinditmucheasiertoreadandwriteletterstomyfriendsandfamily!’

NEARIS (Northern Education & Resettlement Information Services)

NEARIShadtheideaoftakinglaptopsouttolearnersinplaceswheretheyliveormeetregularly-thefirstsetof10laptopswerereadyforactionatthebeginningof2002.NEARIStutorssoonbeganrunningcomputercoursesusingthese“wirelesslaptops”inhostelsandday-centresinManchester,BoltonandOldham.ThefactthatthelaptopswerebatteryoperatedandcoulduseradiolinkstosendsignalstoandfromprintersandInternetconnectionsmeantthattherewasnoneedtohavewirestrailingroundtheroom.NEARISworkedinpartnershipwithagenciesprovidinghelptoadultsundergoingsomeformofresettlementorrehabilitationprocess.Ex-offendersmade

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9SPOTLIGHT ON GOOD PRACTICE

upasizeableproportionoftheclientbase.WiththehelpofaNationalLotterygranttheworkwasextendedtocommunityandvoluntarygroups.Thisoutreachworkwassoonoperatingat30differentlocationsprovidingcoursesforover700learners.AselectionofLearnersStorieshavebeenpublishedasOpening Windows Opening Doors(seewww.nearis.com).

Theopeningcontributortothepublication,Darren,writes:

Iam36,sittingatatablewiththelaptopwritingyouthisscript.Forme,anachievement,averybigone.ImanagedtogethelpfromtheworkersatprobationonwherewecouldlookforacourseandwithabitofpushingandshovingwefoundNEARIS.IwasaskedtogotoaninterviewwhereIwasasked‘howmuchdoyouknow?’.Itoldthem,‘Ihaven’tgotaclueaboutcomputers’.Myfirstsessionwasfortwohours,feltlikeone.I’mreallyinterestedtoimproveandmoveonandlearn.IalsogotloadsofhelpfromChriswhohelpedmetogetmyselfalibrarycardwhichgivesameachancetousetheircomputers.I’mhopingtogetsomekindofcertificateattheend.ThethingsI’mdoingnowmakemewanttolearn.There’ssomuchIthoughthadpassedmeby.IWASSOWRONG!NevermindWINDOWS,IhaveloadsmoreDOORSopenedforme.

A European-wide ICT initiative: the Grundtvig Pipeline projectThe extract below is adapted from their website: www.pipeline-project.org

ThemainaimofthisprojectistoimproveprisoneducationinEuropebymakingICTavailabletolearnersandteachersinprisons.Bypreparingprisonersfore-citizenshipandbridgingthegapbetweenprisonandlifeinthecommunity,theprojectaimstoreducere-offending.Peopleneedtobemultiliterateintoday’ssociety,thisincludestheabilityto

navigatewithinandlocatedigitalresourcesforprofessionalaswellasprivateuse.Target groups Theprimarytargetgroupisprisoners,bothmenandwomen.Prisonteacherswillalsobenefitbydevelopingtheirprofessionalexpertiseinthisarea.Furthermore,theprisonasanorganisation,willbenefitbyenagingwithICT.Main Activities Theseareasfollows:developingasocio-technicalsystem,developingICT-basededucationalactivities,engagingprisonsandprisonersinlearningandteachingthatlookstothefutureandproducingdisseminationmaterials.Expected outcomes Theseincludeasocio-technicalsystemcomprisingVirtualPrivateNetworks(VPN),aLearningManagementSystem(LMS),firewallsanddedicatedserversadaptedtoorganisationalandeducationalneedswhilecomplyingwithsecurityrequirements.Examplesofgoodpractice,teleteachingmaterial,manuals,aprojectwebsiteanddisseminationmaterialwillbeproduced.Theprojectrunstilltheautumnof2007.

Good practice publication

Goodpracticeindeliveringe-learningtodyslexicadultsispresentedintheNIACEe-guidelinesbookletSupporting adults with Dyslexia: harnessing the power of technology (2006).Chapter6containsgoodexamplesofactivitieswhichfamiliariselearnerswiththetoolsavailableonacomputerandprovidealternativestopaper-basedteaching.Chapter8,Good Skills for Learners,providesclearguidanceone-learningtoolsandstressestheimportanceofmovinglearnerson,oncetheyhavefoundconfidenceintheirabilitytohandleICT.AchapterisdedicatedtoMaking Reading Easier,andthebookletitselfisanexampleofaccessibilityandclearpresentation.

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9 SPOTLIGHT ON GOOD PRACTICE

Research into good practice

AkeymessagefromstudiescommissionedbytheNationalResearch&DevelopmentCentre (NRDC) is that contextualised or embedded literacy and numeracy tend to be associated with higher levels of learner engagement.(ResearchResources:WorkingwithYoungOffenders,2006).TheexampleisgivenofajointsessiondeliveredbyanITtutorandapersonalandsocialskillstutorinacommunitysetting.Thisinvolveddiscussion,literacyandnumeracyworktogetherwithuseofasoftwareprogram.CombiningICTwithelementsofembeddedlearningcontributestosuccessfuloutcomes;theotherkeyfactoristhecontext:thisshouldbeofinterest/relevancetothelearnersorchosenbythem.

Listeningtothelearnerisflaggedupasakeyissue;thisisexploredinTime to Learn: Prisoners’ Views on Prison Education (Prison ReformTrust,2003)Researchhasalsopointedtotheimportanceofbreakingdownnegativeassociationswithschoolexperiences;thiscanbefosteredbyrelaxedandinformallearningenvironmentsreflectingamoreadultstatus.

Addressing Social Exclusion

Thoseofusengagedindeliveringe-learningtooffendersareworkingtogivethislargelyexcludedpopulationtheskillstheyneedtofindemploymentandre-integrateintosociety.No civilised country should ignore the plight of the most excluded from society and no-one should be shut off from opportunities, choice and options in life that most of us take for granted. We know that once people are given the chance to excel, they often do(ReachingOut:AnActionPlanonSocialExclusion,2006)

q offenders engage well with a range of e-learning opportunities, which help them overcome negative experiences

q the integration of ICT into basic skills courses is motivating for learners

q there is a growing emphasis on continuity between learning in prison and in the community

q learning works best when learners see it as relevant to their aims

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SKILLS CHECK

Strategies for a successful e-learning environment

Youcancheckyourunderstandingbystudyingthelinksbetweenaspectsofspecificlearningdifficultiesandtheirimplicationsfore-learning,onthechartbelow.

Nowconsiderwhathelpfulstrategiesyoucouldimplement.

Whenyouhaveformulatedyourresponses,turnthepagetoseepossiblesolutions.

SpLD DIFFICULTY PROBLEMS WITH E-LEARNING

STRATEGY

Trackingproblems Losingtheplaceonthescreen ?Weakshort-termorworkingmemory

Rememberinginfo.onpreviousscreenRetaininginstructions ?

SequencingdifficultiesRememberingtheorderofoperationsEnteringwebaddressesincorrectly ?

Meares-IrlenSyndrome/VisualStress

Findingthescreentoobright,glareofblacktextofwhiteorbackgroundcolour‘uncomfortable’

?

Co-ordinationproblemsDifficultiesmovingthemouse.Hittingthewrongkey,problemsdouble-clicking.Slowworkspeed

?

LackofconfidenceLowself-esteem

Fearoffailureandofbeingshownup in front of others ?

SKILLS CHECK

58

SKILLS CHECK

E-LEARNING PROBLEM STRATEGIES

Losingtheplaceonthescreen. Customisethesoftwareanduseaccessibilityoptionsofferedbytheoperatingsystem.Texthighlightingandreadbacksoftware+headphones.Usepost-itnotestomarktheplace.

Rememberinginformation.Retaininginstructions.

Printoutkeyinformation.Takescreengrabsofusefulmenusandoptionsavailable.

Rememberingtheorderofoperations.Enteringwebaddressesincorrectly.

Gothroughthesequencewiththelearner.Printoffinstructions.Useasearchenginethatsuggestslikelyoptions.

Findingthescreentoobrightorthebackgroundcolour‘uncomfortable’.

Dimmingdownthebrightnessofthescreen.Adaptationofbackground/foregroundcolours,accordingtothelearner’spreferences.

Difficultiesmovingthemouse.Keyboardproblems.Slowspeedofwork.

Adjustspeedofoperations.Trydifferenttypesofmouse.UsebigkeyboardsInstalldictationsoftware

Fearofhavingweaknessesshownupinfrontofothers.

Providereassurance/encouragement.Offerdiscreethelp?

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10RESOURCE BANK

a) Adult Dyslexia Organisation Checklistb) Checklist for Visual Stressc) Projects on Dyslexia and Offendingd) Dyslexia & Disability Networkse) Resources & Publicationsf) Specialist Technologiesg) Additional Learning Support

Please note that the authors of this Guide do not necessarily endorse all the views expressed in the resources listed

Afullerlistofnetworksandresourcescanbefoundinthefollowingpublication:Adult Dyslexia: A Guide for learndirect TutorsAdultDyslexiaOrganisation/UfiLtd(rev2005)Availableonline,see www.ufi.com/dyslexia

Manyofthepublicationslistedareavailablefrom:The Dyslexia Shop www.thedyslexiashop.co.uk Better BooksTel:01384253276www.dyslexiabooks.co.uk

Technologysuppliersandadvicefrom:iANSYSTLtd,Tel:08000180045www.dyslexic.com and the Dyslexia ShopTel:01316721552

Formoresuppliers,theiraddressesandinformationabouttheproducts,refertotheADO EEOLS CD orfrom Emptech www.emptech.info.

Advicealsoavailablefrom AbilityNet,Freephone:0800269545www.abilitynet.org.uk

The revised Adult Dyslexia Organisation Checklist is overleaf

10RESOURCE BANK

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10 RESOURCE BANK

Revised Adult Dyslexia Organisation checklist

Please answer Yes or No. Do not miss any questions out. If you are in any doubt, answer whichever feels like the truer answer. 1 When using the telephone, do you get the numbers mixed up

when you dial? YES NO 2 Is your spelling poor?

YES NO 3 When writing down the date, do you often make mistakes?

YES NO 4 Do you mix up dates and times and miss appointments?

YES NO 5 Do you find forms difficult and confusing?

YES NO 6 Do you find it difficult to take messages on the phone and pass

them on correctly? YES NO 7 Do you mix up bus numbers like 35 and 53?

YES NO 8 Do you find it difficult to say the months of the year forwards in

a fluent manner? YES NO 9 When you were at school, did you find it hard to learn the

multiplication or times tables? YES NO 10 Do you take longer than you should to read a page of a book?

YES NO 11 Do you find difficulty in telling left from right?

YES NO 12 Did you find it difficult to decide how to answer these

questions? YES NO

ThischecklistwasdevelopedinconjunctionwithProfessorTimMilesOBEofBangorUniversityfollowingempiricalresearchbyDrRossCooperofLLU+,LondonSouthBankUniversity.

Thischecklistdoesnotattempttorecordthetalents,skillsorpotentiallinkedwithdyslexia.Thechecklistisorganisedaroundsomeofthekeydifficultiesexperiencedbypeoplewithdyslexiaintermsofreading,spelling,memory,organisationandsequencing.

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10RESOURCE BANK

Question Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Points scored 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 3

CountthepointsforeachYESanswere.g.3marksforquestion1.

Markoneboxforeachpointscoredtofindyourchanceofbeingdyslexic.

1 in 60 1 in 26 1 in 7 1 in 3 3 in 4

Thistellsyouhowlikelyyouaretobedyslexic.1in7isanaboveaveragechance.

Ofcourse,itisalwayspossibleforyoutobethe1in60withalowscorewhoisdyslexic,orthe1in4withaveryhighscorewhoisnotdyslexic.Yourownfeelingsaboutthemattercansometimesbemoresignificantthanthescore.

Thisnewversionoftheadultdyslexiascreeninghasbeenpilotedwithasignificantlylargersamplethanprevious,acrossawiderangeofeducationalexperience.Resultswerecomparedwith140peoplediagnosedasdyslexic.ForthebackgroundresearchpleaseseeADO’swebsitewww.adult-dyslexia.orgConsequently,thescreeningbenefitsfrom:

• areducednumberofquestions,usingthebestindicators• weightingthevalueofthequestionsformoreaccuratescreening• eliminatingthequestionswhichareoutofdate• clearerguidelinesaboutthechanceofbeingdyslexic

When you have completed the questionnaire:Ifyoufeelthatyoumaybedyslexic,youcancontacttheAdultDyslexiaOrganisationforadvice:AdultDyslexiaOrganisation,GroundFloor,SeckerHouse,MinetRoad,LoughboroughEst,London,SW97TPHelpline:02079249559Admin:02072073911Email:[email protected] website:www.adult-dyslexia.orgAlternatively,youcaninvestigatealittlefurtheratwww.outsider.co-uk.com/tryout.htmbeforeseekingadvice.

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10 RESOURCE BANK

b) Checklist for Visual Stress (furtherinformationinChapter6)

§If an individual scores highly on this checklist it is worth exploring if coloured overlays make a difference. Suppliers are given at the bottom of the page.

§By working through a testing set of overlays, individuals can select the most ‘comfortable’ colour.

§The loan of the selected overlay can show whether colour is of sustained benefit.

§There is a link between dyslexia and certain eye problems. It is important that these eye problems are treated by an eye specialist, if possible.

§Indicators 2, 3,12,13, & 14 are very common amongst the dyslexic population

§The following may be helpful: adjusting the background / foreground colours on the computer; writing on / reading from tinted paper.

THIS CHECKLIST IS APPROPRIATE FOR ADULTS WITH BASIC SKILLS NEEDS

Atickinthe“?”columnindicatesthatthesymptomispresentsometimes.

YES NO ?

1.Haveyoubeenprescribedglasses?[IfYES,why?]

2.Doyouoftenloseyourplacewhenreading?

3.Doyouuseamarker/yourfingertokeeptheplace?

4.Doyoueverreadnumbers/wordsbacktofront?

5.Doyougetheadacheswhenyouread?

6.Doyoureyesbecomesoreorwater?

7.Doyouscrewyoureyesupwhenreading?

8.Doyouruborcloseoneeyewhenreading?

9.Doyoureadclosetothepage?

10.Doyoupushthepageaway?

11.Doyoupreferdimlighttobrightlightforreading?

12.Doeswhitepaper[orawhiteboard]seemtoglare?

13.Doesprintbecomedistortedasyouread?

14.Doyourdifficultiesincreasethelongeryouread?

Testing Kits & batches of overlays are available from the following sources: 1. CeriumVisualTechnologieswww.ceriumvistech.co.uk Tel:01580765211.2. TheInstituteofOptometryMarketingLtdwww.ioo.org.ukTel02073780330.3. MikeAyresDesign,BuryStEdmundswww.mikeayresdesign.co.uk Tel01359251551

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c) Projects on Dyslexia and Offending

1. DYSPEL PROJECT (Initially 1995 – 1997, now extended) www.lat.org.ukOriginalfindings:52%ofthesampleofoffendersfoundtobedyslexicDyslexiatutorsworkwithoffendersandprovidetraining.CoversLondonProbation,HMPBrixton,drugagenciesandYouthOffendingTeamsDYSPEL, London Action Trust, 88 Clapham Rd, London SW9 OJR

2. STOP PROJECT (1995 - 1997) Shropshire31%dyslexicpeopleamongsttheirsampleofoffendersCTAD, 12 Trimpley, Ellesmere, Shropshire SY12 0EA

3. Uppsala County, Sweden (1996): investigation of reading/ writing difficulties in prisons 31%ofasmallsampleshowedqualitativeandquantitativeindicationsofunderlyingdyslexicproblems.Email contact: [email protected]

4. Oldham project (1998) Greater Manchester Probation ServiceScreeningfoundthat42%ofthesampleofoffendershadclustersofsignificantdyslexicindicators.Reportentitled‘TowardsIdentifyingOffenderswithDyslexia’1998.The Practice Development Unit, 64 Manley Rd, Whalley Range, Manchester M16 8ND

5. New Deal/Probation project “Working Together for the Best Deal” (1998) LondonJulie Conalty, Employment Service, Maritime House, Old Town, Clapham Common, SW4 0JW

7. University of Cambridge Institute of Criminology Reading Study (1998) MRiceRiceassertsthatdyslexiaisnotmoreprevalentamongstoffenders,figureof5%.

8. Study of YOs at Polmont, Scotland (1999, shown on Channel 4) ReidandKirk50%ofasampleof50youngoffendersscreenedpositivefordyslexiausinganadaptedcomputerisedscreeningprogrammeandwerethenassessed. Gavin Reid, Moray House Institute of Education, Holyrood Rd, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ

9. Study of YOs at York YOI (1999)UniversityofYork,MSnowling38%ofYoungOffendersfoundtohavespecificphonologicaldeficitsassociatedwithdyslexia.Poorearlylanguageskillslinkwithlaterreadingimpairmentsandattentionaldifficulties

10. Feltham YO Study (1999) Dyslexia Institute(nowDyslexiaAction)www.dyslexiaaction.orgRandomtestingofcognitive,literacyandinformationprocessingskillsin97YoungOffendersledto17.5%ofthesampleshowinguponaDyslexiaindex.

11. Positive Action through Learning Support (PALS) Nottingham Probation from 1999 ThisPathfinderProjectworkswithallbasicskillsclients.KeyelementsareVolunteerMentoring,screening,assessment,ongoingsupportincludingpost-release,ACCESSEmploymentOfficers.

12. Dyslexia project (2000) Greater Manchester Probation ServiceAninformationpackandtrainingweredevelopedforprobationandETEworkers,showinghowdyslexiacanaffecttheabilitytocompleteprobationordersandhowprocedurescanbemodified.M Jameson, Dyslexia Consultancy Malvern Email: [email protected]

13. Practical Solutions to Identifying Dyslexia in Juvenile Offenders (2004/2005) BritishDyslexiaAssociation+YOIWetherby.CONCLUSION:31%showedsignsofdyslexia

14. Seeing It Differently Project (2004-06) British Dyslexia Associationwww.bdadyslexia.orgESFfundedprojectintheSEEnglandtoraiseawarenessofdyslexiainprisonsandfacilitateappropriatesupportfordyslexicprisoners.Stafftraining,installationofoffenderscreeningsystems,provisionofdyslexiatuitionandmentoringofoffendersuponreleasetohelpresettlement.

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15. The Incidence of Hidden Disabilities in the Prison Population (2005) www.dyslexiaaction.orgLSCfundedwork:DyslexiaAction+8prisonsinYorkshireandHumbersideCoveredtherangeofSpecificLearningDifficulties.CONCLUSION:52%haveliteracydifficulties.20%haveahiddendisability,affectinglearning/employment,suchasAttentionDeficitDisorder.

16. ESF Pathways Project (Jan 2005 – Dec 2006) www.ufi.comAlearndirect/ESFprojecttodeliver300+learndirectcoursestooffendersin12prisonsandcounty-basedprobationofficesviaasecurewebconnectiontothelearndirectdomain.Featuresincludecontinuityine-learningasoffendersmovefromcustodytocommunityandelectronictransferraloflearnerrecords.Fundingforfollow-onworkhasbeenagreed. 17. No-One Knows: Prison Reform Trust (2006 - 2008) www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/nokAstudyoftheprevalenceandassociatedneedsofoffenderswithlearningdifficultiesanddisabilities,withtheaimofmakingrecommendationsforchange.Thestudyfoundthattheseoffendersweremore

likelytobevictimisedandlesslikelytobenefitfromprisonbehaviouralprogrammes.

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d) Dyslexia and Disability Networks Wouldthesebeeasiertoaccessinalphabeticalorderoristhereahierarchy?Adult Dyslexia Organisation (ADO) www.adult-dyslexia.org Address:GroundFloor,SeckerHouse,MinetRoad,LoughboroughEstate,LondonSW97TPEmailHelpline:[email protected]:[email protected]:02079249559Admin:02072073911

PATOSS(Prof.Assn,ofTeachersofStudentswithSpLDs),adviceonspecialisttutortrainingTel:01386712650www.patoss-dyslexia.org Address:Patoss,POBox10,Evesham,Worcs,WR111ZW

British Dyslexia AssociationTel:01189668271www.bdadyslexia.org.uk E-mail:[email protected]:TheBritishDyslexiaAssociation.98LondonRoad,Reading,RG15AU.

Dyslexia Action:Tel:01784222300www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk

N Ireland: EGSA(theEducationalGuidanceServiceforAdults)ConnectingAdultswithLearning:Tel:02890244274www.egsa.org.uk Address:EGSA,4thFloor,40LinenhallStreet,Belfast,BT28BA

Dyscovery Centre, Cardiff(assessment,counselling,trainingcourses,informationandmaterialsforindividualswitharangeofSpLDs)Tel:01633432330www.dyscovery.co.uk E-mail:[email protected]

DANDA: Organisation for Adults with SpLDsDevelopmentalAdultNeuro-DiversityAssociation(DANDA)Tel:02074357891www.danda.org.ukE-mail:[email protected]:DANDA,46WestbereRoad,London,NW23RUEngland

Attention Deficit DisorderADDISSTel:02089522800www.addiss.co.ukE-mail:[email protected]:ADDISS,POBox340,Edgware,Middlesex,HA89HLADDeptTel:01932237830 www.addept.com Email:[email protected]:ADDept,8KingsbridgeRoad,WaltonOnThames,Surrey,KT122BZ

AutismNational Autistic Society Tel:08450704004www.nas.org.uk

SKILL:NationalBureauforStudentswithDisabilities:Tel:02074500620www.skill.org.uk Email:[email protected] FreeHelpline08003285050

Arts Dyslexia Trust:Tel:01303813221(coverstheArts,inthewidestsense)

Adult Dyslexia Access (ADA):Tel:01512271519www.dyslexia-help.org

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Address:Suite210,TheCottonExchange,OldHallSt,Liverpool,MerseysideL39LQ

Basic Skills Agency(developsresources)Tel:02074054017www.basic-skills.co.uk Email:[email protected]:TheBasicSkillsAgency,CommonwealthHouse,1–19NewOxfordStreet,LondonWC1A 1NU

Learning and Skills NetworkTel:02072979000www.lsneducation.org.uk

Right to Write Ltd:Tel:08702404809www.right2write.co.uk E-mail:[email protected].

Disability Rights CommissionTel:08457622633www.drc-gb.orgAddress:Post:DRCHelpline,FREEPOSTMID02164,StratforduponAvon,CV379BR

Employers Forum on DisabilityTel:02074033020www.employers-forum.co.ukEmail:[email protected]’ForumonDisability,NutmegHouse,60GainsfordStreet,London,SE12NY

The Care and Treatment of Offenders with a Learning Difficulty network (ViaUniversityofCentralLancs,mainlypapersonmentalhealth)www.ldoffenders.co.uk

Disability Technology AdviceiANSYSTadvice/technologiesrelatedtodyslexiaTel:01223420101www.dyslexic.comEmail:[email protected] Address:iANSYSTLtd,FenHouse,FenRoad,CambridgeCB41UNUnitedKingdom

Emptechanon-linedatabaseresourceprovidinginformationonassistivetechnologywww.emptech.infoEmail:[email protected]

TechDisaneducationaladvisoryservice,workingacrosstheUK,inthefieldsofaccessibilityandinclusion.Tel:01904717580www.techdis.ac.ukEmail:[email protected]:TechDis,TheHigherEducationAcademy,InnovationWay,YorkSciencePark,YorkYO105BR.

AbilitynetcharityprovidingfreeadviceontechnologyTel:0800269545 www.abilitynet.org.uk Email:[email protected]

BECTAusefulsourceofinformationontechnologyTel:0800269545www.ferl.becta.org.ukEmail:[email protected]:Ferl,Becta(BritishEducationalCommunicationsandTechnologyAgency),MillburnHillRoad,SciencePark,COVENTRY,CV47JJ

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Dyslexia and Vision Institute of OptometryTel:02074074183www.ioo.org.uk [email protected] Address:56-62,NewingtonCauseway,London.SE16DSTel020-74074183Appointments020-72349641Fax020-74038007Cerium Visual TechnologiesforlistofspecialistoptometristsTel:01580765211www.ceriumvistech.co.ukE-mail:[email protected]:CeriumGroupHeadquarters,CeriumTechnologyPark,Tenterden,Kent,TN307DE

Irlen Institute-websitelinkstoassessorsacrossthecountry.www.irlen.com Email:[email protected]

EyeScience Tintavision,computer-assistedhelp:Tel:08451305552www.tintavision.comEmail:[email protected]

Behavioural Optometry,aholisticviewofimprovingvisionTel:02920228144www.babo.co.uk E-mail:[email protected],

Dyslexia and ESOLLLU+LondonSouthbankUniversityTel:02078156290www.lsbu.ac.uk/llplus/

Websites / Networks for Adults with Dyslexiawww.adult-dyslexia.org(websiteoftheAdultDyslexiaOrganisation)www.danda.org.uk(websiteoftheDevelopmentalAdultsNeuro-DiversityAssociation)www.dyxi.co.uk(awebsitedesignedbydyslexicsfordyslexics)www.elkinspiringpeople.co.uk(increasingconfidenceofdyslexicadultsthroughthearts)www.dyslexia-help.org(websiteforAdultDyslexiaAccess)www.ld-web.org(developsguidelinesandpractical“howto”techniquesforuserswithSpLDs,togetherwithadiscussionforum)

Websites for professionals working with dyslexicswww.dyslexiaA2Z.comDyslexiaForum:www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/dyslexia.html Employer’sforum:www.employersforum.co.uk

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e) Resources & Publications

Offending, Exclusion and SpLDsEducation and Training for Offenders TUden(2003)NIACEOn-line learning and social exclusion AClarke(2002)NIACEReaching AllOffenders’LearningandSkillsUnit.AUTISM – A Guide for Criminal Justice Professionals(2005)NationalAutisticSocietyJust Learning? Case Studies in improving offender education & training(2006)NIACE/LSDAIdentification and Implication of Specific Learning Difficulties in a Prison Population,(2005)DyscoveryCentre,ForensicUpdate84Dyslexia checklists for use with offendersJameson(1998and2000)fromADOortheauthor([email protected])Women into Workprojectinformation:www.wiw.org.uk

Skills for LifeSkills for Life website:www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplusDfESorderline:08456022260Publications section contains subsection on Learning Difficulties and DisabilitiesAccess for All(2001)DfES(guidanceonadaptingtheSkills for Life curriculaforlearnerswithdisabilities,includingdyslexia-alsoavailableonCD)Basic Skills for Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities - A Resource pack to Support Staff Development (2003)DfESBroadening Access to the Skills for Life Learning Materials (2003)DfESA Framework for Understanding Dyslexia(2004)DfESLearner Materials Pack(writtenatEntryLevel):Entry1/Unit5onUsingcomputers;Entry2/Unit5 on Using the internet

Making the Curriculum Work for Dyslexic Learners JLee(2002)BasicSkillsAgency

Improving the literacy and numeracy of disaffected young people in custody and the community. A NationalResearchandDevelopmentCentrereport:www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=28

Working with young offenders booklet. SkillsforLifeQualityInitiative ResearchResourceswww.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=63

Engaging the disengaged: learning and skills for offenders BasicSkillsAgencywww.basic-skills.co.uk/site/page.php?cms=4&p=323

PLUS StrategyYouthJusticeBoard:interactiveCDRomwithtopicsmappedtotheNationalCoreCurriculum. http://www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/

E-learning OffenderLearningandSkillswebsite:www.offenderlearning.netE-guidelinesseries,NIACEpublicationswww.niace.org.uk/publications,inparticular:E-guidelines3:Developing e-learning materialsE-guidelines7:Attracting and Motivating new learners with ICTE-guidelines9:Supporting adult learners with dyslexia: Harnessing the power of technology S

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McKeown(2006)

NationalLearningNetworkCDsfortheOffenderLearning&SkillsProgramme,seewww.nln.ac.uk/projects/offenders

A Dyslexic Perspective on e-Content Accessibility,paper by Peter Rainger et al www.techdis.ac.uk/seven/papers/dyslexia.docTechdisalsohaslinkstostaffpacksonmakinge-learningaccessible.See:www.techdis.ac.uk/index.php?p=6_6

Guidance in supporting dyslexic learnersAdult Dyslexia: A Guide for learndirect TutorsAdultDyslexiaOrganisation/UfiLtd(rev2005)Availableonline,seewww.ufi.com/dyslexiaDemystifying DyslexiaMKrupskaandCKlein(1995)AvantiBooks

Dyslexia: Self development & Study SkillsMaking Dyslexia Work for You: a self help guideVGoodwin&BThomson(2004)Pub.FultonFree Flight – Celebrating Your Right Brain, BMVitale(1986),JalmarPress DYSLEXIA: A Teenager’s GuideSMoody(2004)VermillionLiving with DyspraxiaMColley(rev2006)JessicaKingsley‘Use Your Head’, ‘Use Your Memory’, Video on Mind mapping: Get Ahead, TonyBuzan(variousdates) www.mind-map.com/EN/centersThe Study Skills Handbook SCottrell(2003)Pub.PalgraveMacmillanTouch-type, Read & Spell (program, training needed) www.ttrs.co.ukAddress:Touch-typeReadandSpell,POBOX535,Bromley,KENTBR12YFUKTel:02084641330

Numeracy/Dyscalculia (See relevant sections in A Framework for Understanding Dyslexia)Basic Topics in Mathematics AHendersonandTRMiles(2001)RoutledgeMaths for the Dyslexic: A Practical GuideAHenderson(1998)FultonPublishersMathematical Solutions: an introduction to dyscalculia JProustieNextGenerationBooksDyslexia, Dyspraxia and MathematicsDYeo(2003)WhurrPublishersMaths DictionaryRobson(2002)NewbyBooks.Websites:www.dyscalculia.me/uk(includesa25pointchecklist)www.dyscalculia.orgwww.crme/soton.ac.uk/dyscalculia

Teaching Reading & Spelling Toe by ToeK&HCowling(1986)distributedfreetoprisonsandprobationbytheShannonTrust,Tel08454582641www.theshannontrust.org.uk www.toe-by-toe.co.ukE-mail:[email protected]:38EburyStreet,LondonSW1W0LUStride Ahead K&HCowling(2001)KedaPublications

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A Resource Pack for Tutors of Students with SpLDs MWalker(2000)Availablefromtheauthorat14WestonClose,Dorridge,Solihull,WestMidlandsB938BLUnscrambling Spelling: a guide to teaching and learning how to spell,RMillarandCKlein(1986)CrossbowgamesTel:01785660902www.crossboweducation.comEmail:[email protected] Address:41,SawpitLane,Brocton,Stafford,ST170TEUK

English for Speakers of Other Languages The Adult ESOL Core Curriculum, (2001),DfES.ESOL Access for All(2005)DfES(guidanceonadaptingtheESOLSkills for Life curriculaforlearnerswithdisabilities,includingdyslexia–updatesoriginalintroduction)It’s Not as Simple as you Think: Cultural viewpoints around disability,(2006)DfES,Dyslexia and the Bilingual Learner, HSunderlandetal(1997)AvantiBooksInternational Book of Dyslexia: A cross- Language Comparison and Practice Guide, ISmythe,JEveratt,RSalter(2003),Wiley&SonsLtdE-guidelines8:E-learning for teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages,NIACE

Informationonmulti-lingualismfrom:LLU+,LondonSouthbankUniversity,Email:[email protected]

Identification, Screening and Assessment The Dyscovery Profiler (fortheidentificationofspecificlearningdifficulties)DyscoveryCentre,Cardiff Solutions for SpLDs: Identification Guide JProustie(1997)NextGenerationUKDiagnosing Dyslexia, CKlein(1993),BasicSkillsAgency,Ann Arbor Guide to Special Educational Needs(2005)AnnArborPublishersltdInformation sheet on Assessment & Guide to Assessment, MJameson(2000),AdultDyslexiaOrganisationallfromauthorEmail:[email protected]

Screening Tools: Revised Adult Dyslexia Organisation Screening Checklist (Annex A in this Guide)Jameson Offenders Checklist(1998)Email:[email protected] Plus(LucidAdultDyslexiaScreening)Tel:01482882121See:www.lucid-research.com/documents/factsheets/FS17_LADS_general_description.pdfOrder:www.dyslexic.com/itemMatrix.asp?GroupCode=LucidLAD&eq=&MatrixType=1DAST ThePsychologicalCorporationTel:02074244456www.harcourt-uk.comInstinesComputer-basedDyslexiaScreeningTel:08707662499QUICKSCANPicoEducationalTel:02086747786www.studyscan.com Learning Styles and Dyslexia Screening,OutsiderSoftware(2005)www.outsider.co-uk.com

NationalNetworkofAccessCentresundertakestechnologyassessmentsTel:01432376630www.nnac.orgEmail:[email protected]:NationalNetworkofAssessmentCentresAdministrationCentre,TheRoyalNationalCollege,CollegeRoad,HEREFORD,HR11EB

DyscoveryCentre,Cardiff,assessesforSpLDsTel:01633432330www.dyscovery.co.uk

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E-mail:[email protected] Address:TheDyscoveryCentre,AlltyrynCampus,UniversityofWales,NewportNP205DA(SEEALSODisabilityNetworksandSpecialistTechnologiessections)

Training: Supporting Dyslexic Learners in Different Contexts (distance-learningtrainingondyslexiaawarenessandsupportstrategies-optionofEducation,OffendingorWork-basedcontexts)Tel:01189021000www.cfbt.comE-mail:[email protected] Address:CfBTEducationTrust,60QueensRoad,Reading,Berkshire,RG14BS

Supporting professional development in e-learningLearning&SkillsNetworkTel:02072979000www.lsneducation.org.ukEmail:[email protected]:LSNHeadOffice,LearningandSkillsNetwork,RegentArcadeHouse,19-25Argyll

Street,LondonW1F7LS

OCRtrainingcoursesindyslexiasupportandassessmentsTel:02476470033.www.ocr.org.ukAddress:TheDirectorofQualityandStandards,OCR,1HillsRoad,Cambridge,CB12EU.

LLU+dyslexiacoursesinclude:• PostgraduateDiplomainAdultDyslexiaDiagnosisandSupport,LLU+TelOlu,0207815

6293.PractitionersCertificateapprovedcourse.• PostgraduateCertificateinMulitisensoryeLearning&DyslexiaSupport• DyslexiaintheWorkplace

E-Guidetraining:www.niace.org.uk/eguides(Freetrainingprogramme)E-mail:[email protected]

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f) Specialist TechnologiesAccess for All,(2002),DfES(includesguidanceonadaptingtheSkillsforLifeliteracyandnumeracycurriculatotheneedsoflearnerswithdyslexia)ALSOavailableonCDfromtheDfESwww.dfes.gov.uk/

Touch-type, Read and Spell:Tel:02084641330www.ttrs.co.ukAddress:Touch-typeReadandSpell,POBOX535,BROMLEY,KENTBR12YFUKTelephone:+44(0)2084641330Fax:+44(0)2083139454

Arrow(AuralReadRespondOralWritten),Tel:01278441249Address:BridgwaterCollegeCampus,BathRoad,Bridgewater,Somerset,TA64PZ

Read-e,TheReadingSoftware.Tel:08701331949

The Reading Pen Tel:08707203310www.scanningpens.co.ukAddress:ScanningPensLimited,6TheQuadrant,NewarkClose,Royston,SG85HLUK

Furtherproducts:• Franklin electronic dictionary/thesaurus• Olympusdigitalvoicerecorders• Penandpencilgrips• PenAgain pens• Yoropenpens• Fingergriprulers• Magnifyingrulers• Colouredflexi-rulers• Bookrests• Revisionkits• Colouredoverlays• Inspiration MindManager• Kurzweil 3000• TextHELP• Read & Write Standard and Gold• ClaroRead• ClaroView• WordRead• ScreenRuler• ClaroConcepts• Penfriend XP• Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred and Professional• EnglishType Senior (typingtutorfordyslexics)• Writingslope

Theaboveproducts,andmanyothers,areavailablefromthefollowingsuppliers,whocanadviseyou1.TheDyslexiaShopLtd,aweb-based“onestop-shop”providingarangeofproductsrelevanttoadultswithdyslexia,tutorsandemployers, Tel: 01316721552 www.thedyslexiashop.co.uk Address:TheDyslexiaShopLimited,62,RavenscroftStreet,Edinburgh,EH178QW

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2.iANSYSTLtd,(commercialsupplieroftechnologymainlyforthosewithspecificlearningdifficulties.Awidevarietyofitemsincludingspeechrecognition,spell-checkers,typingprogramsetc.Theyalsoofferadviceandguidance,Tel:08000180045www.dyslexic.com Address:iANSYSTLtdFenHouseFenRoadCambridgeCB41UNUnitedKingdom

HaggerElectronics-Recordingdeviceswww.hagger.co.uk E-mail:[email protected] Address:HaggerUKLtd.Unit22&(Unit7Showroom)BusinessCentreWest,AvenueOne,LetchworthGardenCity,HertfordshireSG62HBTel:01462677331SalesLine:08458820505SalesFax:01462675016

For more suppliers, their addresses and information about technology products, refer to the ADO EEOLS CD or Emptech www.emptech.info.Email:[email protected]

Advice also available from:AbilityNet,Freephone:0800269545www.abilitynet.org.ukEmail:[email protected] National Network of Assessment Centres,AssessmentCentresthroughoutEnglandandWalesofferstechnologyassessmentsforlearnerswithdisabilitieswww.nnac.org Email:[email protected]

On-line resources to support e-learning. Speegletalkingsearchenginewww.speegle.co.uk

Kartoo –onlinesearchenginewithagraphicalinterfacewww.kartoo.com

Smart Sumfreecalculatoratwww.smartcode.com/smartsumEmail:[email protected] Address:X2NetLimited,34DukesWay,NorthwichCW98WA

Readerforelectronicbooks www.microsoft.com/reader Tel:08706010100

Address: Microsoft,MicrosoftCampus,ThamesValleyPark,ReadingBerkshireRG61WG FreeTexttospeechinMicrosoftWord www.wordtalk.org.uk

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g) Additional Learning Support KeyfeaturesofthefundingmechanismforAdditionalLearningSupportareasfollows:

(#referstoparagraphnumbersinthedocumentFUNDINGGUIDANCEFORFURTHEREDUCATIONIN2006/07)

#161/162Homeless learners:Higher‘disadvantageuplift’(formerwidening-participationfactor)forthosein‘supportedaccommodation’eghostels.Basicskillsprovisionalsoattracts‘uplift’.

# 352/436 referstoprogrammesforlearnerswithLearningDifficultiesand/orDisabilities.

#431AllcollegesandproviderswillneedtoreclaimthecostsofALSdeliveredtotheirlearnersthroughtheirILRandfundingclaimreturnstotheLSC.

#433ALSshouldonlybeclaimedfortheadditionalcostsindeliveringprovisiontolearnerswithidentifiedwhollyandexclusivelyadditionalsupportneeds.

#435TheactivitiesforwhichALSfundsmaybeusedareintendedtobeadditionalactivitiesthatprovidedirectlearningsupporttolearners

#443ThetypesofALSprovidedforlearnersmayinclude:additionalteaching;otherspecialiststaffinge.g.adedicatedtechnician;specialisttutor(for example a teacher of learners with dyslexia);personalcounselling,wheresuchsupportisnecessarytoenablealearnertoachievehisorherlearninggoal;administrationlinkeddirectlytoindividuallearnersthatisinexcessofusualrequirements–forexampletimespentnegotiatingordeliveringspecialexaminationarrangements.

#460CollegesandprovidersareexpectedtoprovideALStoalllearnerswithassessedanddiagnosedALSneeds,butonlywherethecostsofprovidingtheALSareinexcessofthesethresholds (see most recent update for figures)willthefundingbe‘counted’asALS.It is important to stress that institutions receive a block allocation, additional payments are triggered when this is exceeded.

#475TheevidenceforclaimingALSfunding(thatis,thecompletedform)istheoutcomeoftheprocessofinitialassessmentforlearningsupport.Thisinitialassessmentprocessgenerallyoccursatthepre-entryandentrystagesofthelearningprogramme,andmaybeconsideredtohavethreemainelements:•initialidentificationofthelearnerswhowillneedlearningsupport•detailedassessmentoftheirlearningsupportneeds•developmentofaplantoprovideALS.

#478Therearesomelearnerswhowillhaveneedsthatarenotidentifiedduringthepre-entryandentrystages.Itisimportantthat,assoonastheseneedsareidentified,anassessmentiscarriedoutandtheALScostsformcompleted.Anindividual’slearningsupportneedsmaychangeduringtheprogrammeand,ifareviewofthatperson’sneedsleadstoasignificantchangeintheprovisionbeingofferedtohimorher,theformshouldberevised.

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#486TheoutcomeoftheinitialassessmentisanALSplanthatdetailstheprovisionalearnerwillneedinordertoachievehisorherlearningaims.ThisprovisionshouldbecostedaspartoftheprocessofcompletingtheALScostsform.Thecostingsusedincompletingtheformshouldreflecttheactualcostsbornebytheprovider.Providersshouldadoptcostingformulasthatreflectthevariationsintheirprovision.

# 487 and # 16 of Annex K outline issues that arise when costing the ALS provisionIn addition to the items in # 443, these include: •Thecostsofanyassessmentsrequiredtoidentifyequipmentneedscanbeincludedinthecostingofinitialassessment.•Maintenanceofequipment,andtrainingforthelearnerintheuseoftheequipment,canalsobeincluded.•Wherealearnerneedstohavehisorherlearningmaterialsadapted,thecostofpreparationcanbeincludedintheform.Thismayinvolvetutor,administratororsupportstaffcosts.•ThecostofprovidingALSduringassessmentofachievementshouldbeincluded.Thismightinclude,forexample,extraexaminationinvigilatortime,note-takersoranamanuensis.

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