About.html

Philosophy


Using cinema as a catalyst, the festival aims to promote discussion on dyslexia and the issues and challenges of its definition. DysFest aims to give experts and the public a chance to engage in a forum on issues of pedagogy, assistive technology and representation which will be accessible to people that have no previous knowledge of the arguments surrounding dyslexia. 


 

1. Dyslexia Overview

Dyslexia is framed through several different models. However the overwhelmingly predominant model held by educational institutions and policy makers is the medical model: dyslexia as a brain abnormality within a disability framework.

 

On one hand the medicalization of dyslexia has had positive effects; bringing it to the attention of policy makers and the media and advocating rights of this part of the population.  

 

On the other hand one of the major implications of the medical model is that individual has to compromise part of their dignity and declare themselves disabled to access support. 

 

A social model of disability not only would argue that there is nothing wrong with the label 'disabled', and would also insist that the problem is to be located in the obstacle society poses on the individual. Anyhow, despite the effectiveness of this model for policy making and putting forward the idea of removing barriers torwards inclusion. From a cultural perspective, social studies have shown that stigma, marginalization and concept of deviance are still attached to the concept of disability in "pop culture". This stigmatization is a burden that the medical model of dyslexia carries from within, as an embedded problem, and further explains the high number of students in higher education who refuse support from which they could highly benefit to avoid labeling and stigmatization.

 

Furthermore, advocates of every different model of dyslexia agree that the solution to the challenges a dyslexic individual faces is not a medical one. Another issue that will be discussed further at the festival will be alternative methods of dyslexia classification, through evaluating cognitive functioning which can be more productive/positive and a valid alternative to the conventional educational psychologist report.



2. Dyslexia as a Difference

The importance of cultural factors in the determination of a disability, from anthropological perspective, is understood that as having great variation from one culture to another. One astonishing example is that of blindness, whilst in the west this is widely seen as a disabling condition, in other cultures people without sight are thought to have the eye of the mind and become shamans with high social status.

 

In recent years universities have created programs to 'widen participation' which are aimed specifically at integrating marginalized people; people with criminal history, drug offenders, those from poor literacy backgrounds and single parents. The support given to people in these 'widening participation' schemes overlaps almost completely with that given to dyslexic students. i.e.: Study skills.

 

Also people tend to agree that multi-sensory techniques for teaching and awareness of different learning styles in teaching and studying is something that will benefit not only dyslexic students but also the wider student body. The issue presented here is the fact that non dyslexic individuals more readily learn or find strategies to process information for themselves without multi-sensory and learning style awareness situations. 



2a What is the major distinction between Specific Learning Disability (or Difference) and learning disabilities?

If we consider the ‘developmental disabilities’ that effect learning; mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and various genetic and chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. The education support given to people with such conditions usually is constituted of combined one-to-one teaching and care and a drastically reduced curriculum specifically tailored to the needs of the student which would emphasize basic life skills with the ultimate goal being “independence.”  The support given to dyslexics is far less invasive and focuses primarily on the act of learning itself which includes in depth tuition on ‘study skills’ from reading assistance to how to structure essays or use computers, which are mental tools that would be useful for all students. Arguably, wouldn't the rest of the population perhaps benefit being given access to teaching strategies used in the area of "specific learning disabilities"(ie dyslexia)?

 

Furthermore the increasing number of dyslexics, vs  the disproportion of dyslexia to other disabilities in the DSA scheme[i.e. at Goldsmiths approximately 750 dyslexics out of 800 registered as disabled] should call for policy more oriented towards distributing resources in a more widespread fashion, that moves away from medical labeling strategies. If non dyslexics benefit from study skills and assistive technology, maybe this should be constituted as a module an be available throughout the duration of education to anyone who wish to attend, furthermore if we agree that teaching could makes such a big difference to a great number of (dyslexic) students, then it seems reasonable to propose that a lecturer's training should take into account multi-sensory and learning style awareness techniques for teaching.

 

This approach would be inclusive and remove labeling on an institutional level. It is then up to the student to have his cognitive functioning assessed if he wants to learn more about how he/she could maximize his learning strategy, and what his/her strengths and weaknesses are.

 

2b. What is the difference between disabled and disabling?


The main difference is where you locate the problem. If a person is disabled it implies that there is something permanently and medically wrong within the individual or that a characteristic of the individual will require them to make significant adjustments to fit in with the mainstream to fulfill what is demanded of them. However if something is disabling, this imply an assumption or situation is where the problem is located- and it is temporary. When the disabling condition is removed, then they are not effected by it. The assumption that we all learn in the same way is a disabling condition as is the assumption that we all take the same time to fulfill the same tasks. This viewpoint relocates the problem outside the individual and within the social interaction or cultural bios engaging the individual. For policy makers this is much more effective because it reframes the system taking into account key assumptions that include and integrate a greater variety of the population, into the widening participation scheme.

 

Here there is the counter-argument that it is not possible to shape society in order to take into account of dyslexic's cognitive "weaknesses". One answer to this counter-argument is that these weaknesses are only in respect to certain academic demands. The successful dyslexic entrepreneur is a character that has become increasingly prominent over the last 50 years and illustrates that dyslexia's cognitive weaknesses are confined primarily to specific areas of reasoning, whilst the individual may excel at other areas. But what I'd like to stress is that further research in a metacognition approach/training could be unlock the cognitive functions and potential that will make the dyslexic individual self sufficient in overcoming "cognitive weakness".

 


3.Dyslexia through the neurodiversity model


From assumptions previously mentioned we can see that a less mainstream way of framing dyslexia would benefit both the individual and the institution. 

A more positive approach could be that of neurodiversity, empowering and engaging everyone. It starts from a medical basis, acknowledging that the dyslexic brain is different from that of the non dyslexic. However rather then draw the conclusion that it is an abnormality, it put things in perspectives and notes how this could be seen as a variation within the human spectrum to be valued for its own sake rather then to try and deny the difference and conform it to what is thought to be the average.


 

4.Festival aims


DysFest aims at explore the representation and understanding of dyslexia through its visual representation in films and art. Aiming at using film to establish a common ground to discuss issues and challenges around the concept of "dyslexia". We wish to raise awareness of the complexity of the issue and empower the audience with a more down to earth approach to the debate, free from jargon.  Also through its workshops we will create a space to pass on practical tips to teachers and students to improve everyday learning situations within the framework of a positive approach.





Pietro Passarelli


                                                                                               edited and proofread by Rob Heppel 

Audio Reading of the text in the media player by Jessica Duveen       

if you want it read to you by Jessica, click on the player.