DEMOS Project - Dyslexic students FAQ

How can I make my teaching more accessible to dyslexic students?

Dyslexic students often identify the following as procedures that would greatly help them:

provision of lecture notes in advance and any other essential information like maps and charts. Very often, students will prefer non-white paper, blue markers on white boards;
summary points are also helpful in notes;
overhead projection slides and Powerpoint presentation slides should be brief and clearly spaced with paper copies available. They should be left up long enough for students to write down and absorb the information;
key words, dates, names etc. should be said out loud;
lecturers should provide an overview, use signposts to indicate structure and pause for oral summary and note-taking;
the use of concrete examples, demonstration and analogy where appropriate is very helpful;
repeating things in different ways can also help.

There are now a number of resources which identify good practice teaching guidelines for lecturers and departments including:

It is fair to say that things which will help a student with dyslexia will also benefit all students. Given the new legislation (SENDA Part 4 of the DDA 2001), it is a good idea to discuss these kinds of questions within departments so that 'reasonable adjustments' can be made for dyslexic students.

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