Dyslexia support in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
People with dyslexia
, especially school children, can benefit from a range of support techniques including additional one-to-one literacy support from specialist teachers, computer tools with text-to-speech, spelling correction and word prediction
; coloured glasses, and many other methods. The techniques chosen for an individual vary according to their particular conditions.
case of Skipper v Calderdale Metropolitan Borough School (2006) EWCA Civ 238, the Court of Appeal
applied Phelps v London Borough of Hillingdon (2001) 2 AC 619 as the landmark case on the failure to diagnose dyslexia, in accordance with duty of care in English law
, and to hold that the appellant could pursue her claim against her school for humiliation, lost confidence, and lost self-esteem, and for loss of earnings following its failing to diagnose and treat her dyslexia despite the fact that, as Latham LJ. The ruling states in paragraph 29:
In England and Wales
, the failure
of schools to diagnose and provide remedial can help for dyslexia following the House of Lords
decision in the case of Pamela Phelps has created an entitlement for students with dyslexia in Higher education
to receive support funded via the Disabled Students Allowance. Support can take the form of IT equipment (software and hardware) as well as personal assistance, also known as non-medical helper support. Dyslexic students will also be entitled to special provision in examinations such as additional time to allow them to read and comprehend exam questions.
Dyslexia Scotland :
http://www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, especially school children, can benefit from a range of support techniques including additional one-to-one literacy support from specialist teachers, computer tools with text-to-speech, spelling correction and word prediction
Word prediction
Word prediction is the provision of words that are frequently used in response to a user's keystrokes.-Purpose:The original purpose of word prediction software was to help people with physical disabilities increase their typing speed, as well as to help them decrease the number of keystrokes needed...
; coloured glasses, and many other methods. The techniques chosen for an individual vary according to their particular conditions.
Duty to Diagnose and Support
Schools and other institutions have a legal duty not to discriminate unfairly against people with dyslexia, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (UK). Schools and academic institutions must also detect the condition in order to provide the appropriate support.Legal Precedent in England
In the English lawEnglish law
English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...
case of Skipper v Calderdale Metropolitan Borough School (2006) EWCA Civ 238, the Court of Appeal
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom above it...
applied Phelps v London Borough of Hillingdon (2001) 2 AC 619 as the landmark case on the failure to diagnose dyslexia, in accordance with duty of care in English law
Duty of care in English law
In English tort law, an individual may be owed a duty of care by another, to ensure that they do not suffer any unreasonable harm or loss. If such a duty is found to be breached, a legal liability is imposed upon the duty-ower, to compensate the victim for any losses they incur...
, and to hold that the appellant could pursue her claim against her school for humiliation, lost confidence, and lost self-esteem, and for loss of earnings following its failing to diagnose and treat her dyslexia despite the fact that, as Latham LJ. The ruling states in paragraph 29:
- "The extent to which her dyslexia could have been ameliorated or provided for will always remain uncertain, as will the extent to which that would have affected her performance in public examinations; the evidence that we have includes material to suggest that she, not surprisingly, reacted adversely to the break-up of her parents marriage when she was 15, in other words at a critical time in her education. Whether any improvement in her examination results would have led to her life taking a significantly different course will also be a matter for some speculation."
In England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, the failure
Failure
Failure refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic...
of schools to diagnose and provide remedial can help for dyslexia following the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
decision in the case of Pamela Phelps has created an entitlement for students with dyslexia in Higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
to receive support funded via the Disabled Students Allowance. Support can take the form of IT equipment (software and hardware) as well as personal assistance, also known as non-medical helper support. Dyslexic students will also be entitled to special provision in examinations such as additional time to allow them to read and comprehend exam questions.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (UK) includes those who have dyslexia as having a disability. There have been additional legislation in subsequent years widening the scope of the 1995 Act.- "In some cases, people have 'coping strategies' which cease to work in certain circumstances (for example, where someone who stuttersStutteringStuttering , also known as stammering , is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds...
or has dyslexia is placed under stress). If it is possible that a person's ability to manage the effects of the impairment will break down so that these effects will sometimes occur, this possibility must be taken into account when assessing the effects of the impairment." — Paragraph A8, Guidance to the Definitions of Disability.
Countries within the UK
As part of devolution each country within the UK may have different ways of dealing with the issue.Dyslexia Scotland :
http://www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk/
See also
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (UK)
- Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004The Education Act 2004 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament that received Royal Assent in 2004. It seeks to redefine the law in Scotland relating to the provision of special education to children with additional needs by establishing a framework for the policies of inclusion and generally...
- Qualified specialist dyslexia teachersQualified specialist dyslexia teachersQualified specialist dyslexia teachers are teachers in the United Kingdom with specialist SpLD qualifications who are recognised by the Department for Children, Schools and Families as being able to assess and diagnose dyslexia...
- Special Educational Needs In the UK
- Teaching and Learning Research ProgrammeTeaching and Learning Research ProgrammeThe Teaching and Learning Research Programme is the United Kingdom's Economic and Social Research Council's largest investment in education research. It was initiated in 2000 and is expected to end in 2011. The programme incorporates 700 researchers in 70 projects, which cover all education...