Like all the organisations that are campaigning to ensure that children with special educational needs get the right help and support within mainstream education, Dyslexia Action whole-heartedly supports the new pilot to ensure that pupils who are print disabled have access to the curriculum in formats that better meet their individual needs (“Resources for the blind piloted”, September 25).
However, the term “print disabled” does also include those with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties. The pilot referred to in the article will also target children who struggle to read the printed word because of a hidden disability such as dyslexia. It is important that teachers are aware of the benefits that such a pilot could have for all children struggling with their school texts.
The difficulties presented by those with a specific learning difficulty compared to those who are blind or partially sighted are very different, but in common are the reduced opportunities and undermined educational achievement resulting from not being able to access the printed curriculum.
This is not a quick fix for the approximate 1.2 million school-aged children affected by dyslexia, but it is a positive step forward that we are confident will impact on the educational outcomes for all children with a print disability.
Shirley Cramer, Chief executive, Dyslexia Action (www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk).