What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) which primarily affects the reading and writing skills of an individual however, those with dyslexia may also find it difficult to process and retain information which can have an impact on their learning (British Dyslexia Association, n.d). The Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is a United Kingdom (UK) government grant which can provide eligible students with bespoke assistive technology (AT) to support their learning (subject to a £200 contribution).
Dyslexia Support in Higher Education
The AT software can vary from text-to-speech, mind-mapping and note-taking software which can support students with the planning and organisation of academic assignments. Students may also be offered individual training to help navigate their software and equipment. In addition, students can be assigned a non-medical helper (NMH) i.e. Specialist Study Skills Tutor who can support in targeting specific difficulties that students may have with acquiring, recalling, and retaining information in written and spoken language.
Furthermore, the support may address memory, organisational, attention and numeracy difficulties, which are often common among learners with SpLDs. The ultimate goal is to promote independent learning and empower the student to manage their workload. Additionally, there are assistive technology software which can be incorporated to further support your academic studies.
Dyslexia Toolkit Recommendations
The following are software recommendations which can support you in the following areas of your academic learning:
1. Planning and Structuring
MindView – is a mind mapping software that will support students to brainstorm, organise and present their ideas visually.
2. Time Management and Organisation
Trello – is a web-based list manager which allows users to utilise different cards to prioritise their workload and provides an illustrative way of viewing upcoming deadlines.
Global Tasks – is a task manager solution which is web based and available on any device. It aids the user to stay on top of their workload by focusing on the highest priority task. The task manager allows users to eliminate distractions by seeing all their projects at a glance but being in control on what to prioritise by hiding tasks for to access at a later date.
Pomodoro Technique – is a great tool to enhance focus when studying. This method uses a structured series of shorter periods of focus. It is suggested that the user will set a timer for 25 minutes to focus on a single task. Once the timer rings the user will have a 5-minute break before setting another 25-minute timer. This process will be repeated until the task is complete.
3. Note-taking
Glean – allows students to capture all content from lectures eliminating the worry of missing important information.
TalkType – is a highly accurate dictation software which can enhance productivity for users who find it difficult to type using a traditional keyboard.
Reference List
Birmingham City University (n.d) The Pomodoro Technique – work your way to an A, one Pomodoro session at a time [Online] Available from: https://www.bcu.ac.uk/exams-and-revision/time-management-tips/pomodoro-technique [Accessed 29.07.24]
British Dyslexia Association (n.d) About Dyslexia [Online] Available from: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dyslexia/about-dyslexia/what-is-dyslexia [Accessed 15.07.24]
Glean (n.d) Capture everything. Waste nothing. [Online] Available from: https://glean.co/product/glean-study-tool [Accessed 29.07.24]
MindView (n.d) MindView – The Best Mind Mapping Software [Online] Available from: https://www.matchware.com/mind-mapping-software [Accessed 29.07.24]
Texthelp (n.d) Global Tasks [Online] Available from: https://www.texthelp.com/en-gb/solutions/dsa/global-tasks/ [Accessed 29.07.24]