Thou shalt not forget SPACING

Recently I was talking to a workmate who has dyslexia.  Any tips for other people I asked?  “Hmmm,” she said, “I don’t really know. I guess, for me, I won’t read a book unless the writing looks nice.” 

And there it is.  An uber-simple strategy for every document, every note, every message  of  hope or doom, bottled or otherwise.

To make writing accessible, use:

·      A clear font.

·      Lots of spaces.

·      Bullet points.

·      Diagrams.

·      Cheerful cartoons and the like.

Easy! -But well-worth reminded ourselves.

JOKE The Day Off

 The Day Off

1. Read
Two factory workers are talking. The woman says, "I can make the boss give me the day off."
The man replies, "And how would you do that?"
The woman says, "Just wait and see." She then hangs upside-down from the ceiling.
The boss comes in and says, "What are you doing?"
The woman replies, "I'm a light bulb."
The boss then says, "You've been working so much that you've gone crazy. I think you need to take the day off."
The man starts to follow her and the boss says, "Where are you going?"
The man says, "I'm going home, too. I can't work in the dark."

2. True or False?
1.    The place the people worked in was a factory.
2.    The palace the people worked in was a factory.
3.    The policeman who the people worked with was funky.
4.    The woman was an introvert.
5.    The woman was inventive.
6.    The woman was in an adventure movie.
7.    The boss was a trusting person.
8.    The boss was a trumpet player.
9.    The boss was a trucking person.
10. The man started to pull up his sleeve too.
11. The man started to leave too.
12. The man trod in dog poo.

7 Links to Really Useful Places

www.hellofriend.org
Site of the Ennis William Cosby Foundation. Easy to use and nice personal stories.

www.ldonline.com
Site of the Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities (CCLD). Clear text and masses of topics. There's an option of basic or in depth info.

www.ldpride.net
Site of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD). Looks busy but in fact the text is easy and the info straight-forward. The fast facts are interesting. There's a chat room and bulletin board.

www.schwablearning.org
Site of the Schwab Foundation for Learning. Easy to read and follow. Loads of info.

www.ldanatl.org
Site of the Learning Disabilities Association of America. Loads of useful info.

www.literacytrust.org.uk
A really useful UK site.

www.ldaustralia.org

Site of Learning Difficulties Australia. Has a wonderfully useful tutor referral service.

JOKE The Grasshopper, The Snail, and The Centipede

 
 

JOKE

 

The ______________afternoon
 

One Saturday afternoon the grasshopper, the snail, and the centipede were sitting around the grasshopper's house drinking beer.
They ran out of beer before they had even had one glass each, so they decided one of them should go out for more beer.
The snail said, "I'd go, but I'm kind of slow. Besides, Grasshopper, this is your neighborhood so you know where to go."
The grasshopper said, "I don't mind going, but my hopping will shake up the cans and we'll get sprayed every time we open one."
So they decided to send the centipede; and the grasshopper explained how to get to the nearest liquor store. An hour or so passed and still the centipede hadn't returned, so the snail and the grasshopper decided to go look for him. They got as far as the front door and found the centipede sitting there putting on his shoes.

1. Fill in the missing word in the title.  What kind of afternoon would you say this was?

2. Write the two words in which "c" sounds like "s"?

3. Write 3 words with "ice" in and 3 with "ace" in.

4. Write 5 words with "ai" like in snail.

5. Write  5 words that have 3 syllables in them (you can include words from the title).

STORY Big Breakfast

Story -Big Breakfast

A. Reading

Jack likes eggs and ham. He works in the city. Every morning on his way to work, Jack stops at a café and buys a big breakfast and a cup of coffee.  Sometimes he buys a sandwich and a donut to take away for his lunch.  Jack likes this morning habit because it is quick and easy. He does not have to cook breakfast or make his lunch or wash the dishes. But Jack is getting fat.  The doctor has told him that he has high cholesterol. The doctor told him to stop eating foods that are high in fat.  Jack must not visit the café so often.  He must start packing himself lunch with foods in it like apples and bananas. Donuts? -Maybe once a week.

B. Reading: True or False

1. ______ Jack must stop eating so much fatty food.

2. ______ Jack and his wife are getting a divorce because Jack is fat.

3. ______ The doctor has a big house, two children, and a cat.

4. ______ In the picture, Jack is standing.

5. ______ Jack has high ribs.

6. ______ Donuts are cooked with milk, nuts, leeks and beef.

7. ______ Your doctor will cook for you.

8. ______ Every morning Jack goes to school.

9. ________ Jack has a pet dog.

10________ Cholesterol will make you sleep well at night.

C. Find 

1. 5 words made of 2 syllables

2. 1 word made of 3 syllables

3. 1 word made of 4 syllables

4. 3 words that you see twice (x2)

5. 1 word that starts with qu

D. Note from Tracey

I adapted this from the free stories at El Civics for ESL Students

Getting assessed for dyslexia

Unfortunately, finding out if you are "officially" dyslexic, when you left school long ago, isn't always easy. -You must be assessed by a psychologist who is recognized by your workplace or college, or whom you are referred to by a reputable organization (like the disability office of your local college or the dyslexia association). The assessment is not inexpensive. Your health insurance may cover all or some of the costs. If you attend college and paid for mandatory insurance through that college, some psychologists' fees are covered by that insurance, but you will have to check around.

It should be easier, shouldn't it!

The accommodation you should have

It's exam time again at my college and, naturally enough, nerves are on edge. But there's one accommodation (for dyslexic students registered in the disability unit) that really makes this time easier. It's the most used accommodation of all and it's taking the exam in the disability unit as opposed to the regular classroom. Why is this accommodation so helpful? Because you get to sit in a less stressful, less competitive environment -Who needs to watch other students leaving the classroom in their droves while you are only half done? It's much better to avoid all that by being somewhere else. The other benefit of taking your exam away from the classroom is that you get extra time, typically time and a half. 

In my college you need to have filled out a form in order to get any accommodations, including this one, and if you're on the ball you get this done, at the disability unit, at the start of the semester. If you forget to be early you must at least get that form done several days before exams. The form is carbon copied so that there are a total of three identical pages. You keep one, the disability unit gets one and your professor gets his too. The form means that everyone knows you will quietly leave your classroom to take the exam and no one gets surprised. If you haven't got onto this yet, ask about it. My students say that this accommodation is huge for them and makes all the difference.

What if you are mildly dyslexic and not registered as having a disability? - Talk to your professor and maybe get advice from your school's disability unit or student services too. Many decisions are left to the discretion of individual professors so you may find that an understanding professor is very happy to accommodate you, especially if your need is relatively simple, like being allowed extra time.