ESF Supports Dyslexia and Employment Project
The Dyslexia and Employment Project which is being lead by the LLU+ at London South Bank University has been granted £500,000 of European Social Funding (co financed through the Learning and Skills Council London Central).
BDA Chief Executive, Susan Tresman, has offered her wholehearted support to the project: “(The) BDA campaigns on employability and warmly welcomes this important initiative. The British Dyslexia Association supports many adult dyslexics as they engage with employers and with many young adults seeking employment for the first time. The outcomes of this project will be valuable and highly relevant to this process and our quest to secure maximum opportunity for all those with dyslexia.”
Recently the BDA has produced An Employer’s Guide to Dyslexia. This is a practical and informative guide and CD-ROM to help employers comply with the Disability Discrimination Act.
The Dyslexia and Employment Project aims to support 750 adults in relation to dyslexia, particularly those working in care homes, food handling, leisure and hospitality. They will be provided with free dyslexia screening, individual feedback, additional assessments as appropriate and advice and guidance about training. The project will provide awareness raising and support for 350 employers in London with an emphasis on the benefits of a dyslexia-friendly work environment.
The project is specifically aimed at small businesses in central London (covering the following boroughs: Camden, Islington, Lambeth, Wandsworth, City of Westminster, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Southwark).
- The project will offer free dyslexia training in the workplace.
- Free dyslexia screening for all employees who want it; on-line or paper based.
- Free confidential, additional diagnostic assessment of strengths and weaknesses, if appropriate, by professional diagnostic tutors.
- Free guidance for individuals for learning and work based strategies, on access and suitable training.
- Dyslexia awareness training (Levels 2 and 3).
- Support for employers to create a dyslexia friendly working environment.
- Support for workplace mentors.
About ten per cent of the population is dyslexic; many dyslexic adults have not been diagnosed and do not understand the reasons for their difficulties. Sharon: ‘After discovering I was dyslexic….I was able to put all the pieces of my life together’.
Quite simple measures can make a big difference to an individual’s performance and confidence, like enlarging print, colour coding information and taping information to be remembered. Many dyslexic individuals have had very unhappy educational experiences, which is one reason why they are often extremely reluctant to participate in formal training.
If you are interested in participating in this project and would like to find out more, please contact Alexandra Davies or Alison Swabey or Natasha Nelson on 020 7815 6267.
For more information please see the FE News website.