Dyslexia Awareness Week at UWTSD London

By Abi Luck
Tuesday, March 15, 2022

This week at UWTSD London is dyslexia awareness week. Many students may not realise until they begin to study at university that they have an underlying specific learning difference (SpLD) such as dyslexia.

Dyslexia is not a reflection of intelligence, it is a particular set of traits when learning which means the learner can have difficulty with certain aspects of learning if the right support is not put in place.

Student Testimony

Unsure about getting tested? Meet Carol!

Carol Vaughan Roberts is a UWTSD DBA student who has been with the university since Certificate level and attributes some of her success to the help she received further to her dyslexia diagnosis.

“Today I am a women awarded with a CertHE, BA (Hons) and most recently an MBA all from UWTSD London. But it was not always this way, there was a point where I struggled at school as a child. I had been labelled as stupid and destructive.”

“My early working life was very discouraging. To change this, I decided to try my hand at studying again and lucky for me one of my lectures was dyslexic and recognised the signs of dyslexia in me. She recommended that I should get tested and I am so glad I did. That test changed my life. It felt like a weight had been lifted. This led to me getting the support I needed.”

"Today, I am continuing with my studies and joined the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme and currently on Part 2 (the research journey) of my Doctoral study. The best thing I did for my life is to have my dyslexia assessment.”

Typically if you think you could be dyslexic things to look out for are:

• A family member has dyslexia or another SpLD
• Difficulty with reading, particularly academic or more challenging text. Do you have to reread the material a number of times before it is fully processed and retained?
• Difficulty keeping up with note taking in lectures. Do you find it hard to hold on to the information for long enough to write it down, whilst listening to the next point?
• Difficulty getting your thoughts down in writing – is it easier to express yourself verbally?
• Difficulty with spelling – do you struggle to spell a word even if you know what it is and can recognise it when reading?
• Organisation and time management weaknesses

Not all of these will apply to every dyslexic learner but these are some of the key things to look out for.

If you are dyslexic you may be entitled to some additional support from the disability service, as well as funding via the DSA. DSA support can offer additional equipment, assistive software, regular 1:1 specialist tuition and training. It is well worth applying for this if you do have a diagnosis of dyslexia or any other SpLD.

More information about DSAs can be found here: Help if you're a student with a learning difficulty, health problem or disability: How to apply - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

or you can contact Abi Luck the Disability Officer to find out more LondonDisability@uwtsd.ac.uk

Here is some more information in the below video by the British Dyslexia Association’s student ambassador: WHY YOU SHOULD GET TESTED FOR DYSLEXIA

If you think you could be dyslexic but have never been tested you can also have a screening through the university to find out more. The screening takes up to an hour and can be conducted online. It will indicate right away if further assessment is required. Please contact the Disability service for more information LondonDisability@uwtsd.ac.uk.