Good Practice Guide for Justice Professionals
An important guide for Justice Professionals on supporting Specific Learning Difficulties in the Justice System is now available from the BDA.
The Good Practice Guide for Justice Professionals has been written by the BDA and DANDA (an umbrella organisation for adults with a range of specific learning difficulties) to support clients and users of the Justice System.
It follows the introduction of the new chapter on Specific Learning Difficulties in the Judicial Equal Treatment Bench Book (revised Dec. 2008).
The guide features:
- Implications for the Justice System;
- Guidance on Interviewing and Case Preparation;
- Accommodations and Reasonable Adjustments.
This Guide has received considerable interest and support on the part of both the Bar Council and the Law Society together with favourable comments from members of the Police Force, Probation Service and Magistrates Association.
A summary is available here.
The Justice Guide is available by calling the BDA on 0845 251 9003, priced £12.40 plus postage and packaging.
A pdf version is also available for £10.
To purchase the Justice Guide in either format you can do so in our shop, www.bdastore.org.uk.
Practical Solutions to Identifying Dyslexia in Juvenile Offenders, Bradford 2004
This study found that 31% of young offenders showed signs of dyslexia.
Coping with Courts and Tribunals
A new Guide Coping with Courts and Tribunals by Melanie Jameson, is now available. In addition to court and tribunal settings, it also covers parole hearings, jury service and mediation – all of which present special challenges to people with SpLDs. The Guide does not deal with children’s issues, such as Special Needs Tribunals.
The court system can seem like a maze, overwhelming in its complexity and confusing in its twists and turns. Support should be available for those regarded as vulnerable or with a disability but what does it comprise and how can you access it?. The main purpose of the Guide is to answer these questions in the various justice settings. It is unfortunate that we are experiencing a time of unprecedented cuts which are bound to impact on services; the reorganisation of courts and tribunals into one organisation is likely to cause further upheavals.
It is important to know what legislation deals with issues of disability and vulnerability. The provisions of the new Equality Act are covered in the guide, in a section on appropriate legislation, and guidance is given on the vital mater of Reasonable Adjustments.
In addition to the PDF colour version, there is a printer-friendly version (without colour). Both are on the DANDA website and on www.dyslexia-malvern.co.uk Hard copies are available from either source.
Remember that there is also a Guide for justice professionals, this was written in partnership with the BDA who distribute it at a cost of £10. Educating the justice sector about SpLDs is a difficult task but we made an important start with this publication in 2009. Hopefully the new Guide will complete the picture and help lead people with SpLDs through the maze.
Melanie Jameson
Justice Adviser to DANDA
The Developmental Adult Neuro-Diversity Association