Hello I need some advice. I'm currently studying a access course that will get me into university , I've been told that because I'm dyspraxic they are telling me that I AM having trouble coping on my course. I have been told that I because I have dyspraxia I have a bad memory and that I do not remember things correctly that are told to me,I have also been told that I do not know my right from my left.
Can anyone help as there is afraid of me being kicked off the course because of my dyspraxia. I really do not know what to do I am confused as well seeing the person who is running my course interviewed me and new I had dyspraxia when they offered me the place
And I must add that I do know my left from rights and I'm having a photographic memory and often people who know me use me as a as a satellite navigation system as I've never got lost. I admit that I do forget to make my partnera cup of tea sometimes when she's asked me 5-10 seconds before but that doesn't happen that often
I need advice
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Re: I need advice
It makes me so angry when I discover that yet another person with dyspraxia has been treated in an ignorant way on a course or at work- this seems to happen far too often and I am certain that it is largely due to a lack of awareness of dyspraxia. The course tutor knew that you had dyspraxia when you were admitted onto your Access course, so he/she should not be criticising you for doing things which are obvious symptoms of dyspraxia- it's discriminatory and downright disgusting if the tutor tries to use those things as justification for pushing you off the course. Although you say you have a good memory, it's possible that your long-term memory is better than your short-term (or working memory). Short-term memory is the kind of memory people use on a day-to-day basis to help them carry out tasks (it's the kind of memory that enables them to remember that 'first I need to do X, then Y, then Z' ). It is common for people with dyspraxia to have problems with working memory, even though they might have a good memory in the longer term- this goes some way to explaining why someone with dyspraxia might seem 'ditsy' in the workplace, but might actually have done well at degree-level study. I'm sure that you can tell left from right, but it is a common area of difficulty in people with dyspraxia and IMO we might be especially inclined to make errors with this when put under pressure, even if we can manage to do it under normal circumstances.
If you're sure that you don't really have memory problems and don't have issues with left and right, it could be that the tutor has some sort of prejudice about you in general, based on some aspect of you which is affected by dyspraxia (such as speech or movement), but he/she doesn't want to say what it is, so finds it easier to use the other things as excuses. I'm saying this because different people have pushed me out of things by claiming that I 'can't communicate effectively'- however, what this has really come down to is that they don't like the actual way that I speak (they form judgements about me based on the speed, volume and tone of my speech) rather than that there is a problem with the content of my speech. Some people haven't felt comfortable to just come out and admit their prejudice that someone who speaks 'like me' should not be allowed to talk to parents in schools etc. I should add that my issues with speech production are directly related to having dyspraxia, as of course how well the muscles which control speech work is influenced by how efficiently messages about motor control are sent from the brain.
You need help from someone else urgently. When my tutor was trying to push me off my PGCE course (due to her prejudice that someone 'like me' shouldn't be teaching) I naively thought that I could somehow get her to understand what dyspraxia is and to be sympathetic towards me. The only way I got the tutors to allow me to complete the course and take my dyspraxia into consideration was through the involvement of Disability Services (part of Student Services) at my University. As you're attending a college, I don't know whether they'll have anything like this, but you need to find out straight away- there should at least be someone at the college who is responsible for students with disabilities. You need to get someone else to advocate for you, as it is likely to be very difficult for you alone to get the tutor to be supportive- your college's Disability Officer should be able to work with your tutor to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to enable you to complete your course successfully (you might need allowances such as extra time or the provision of specialist equipment such as software). You could also try contacting an organisation called Key 4 learning, as they can be good at intervening on behalf of people with conditions such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. Here's the link for them:
http://www.key4learning.com
You really shouldn't lose your place on the course because the tutor is ignorant about dyspraxia. Let us know what happens. If the worst comes to the worst and you lose the place, you should seriously consider taking legal action, but I hope it won't come to that.
If you're sure that you don't really have memory problems and don't have issues with left and right, it could be that the tutor has some sort of prejudice about you in general, based on some aspect of you which is affected by dyspraxia (such as speech or movement), but he/she doesn't want to say what it is, so finds it easier to use the other things as excuses. I'm saying this because different people have pushed me out of things by claiming that I 'can't communicate effectively'- however, what this has really come down to is that they don't like the actual way that I speak (they form judgements about me based on the speed, volume and tone of my speech) rather than that there is a problem with the content of my speech. Some people haven't felt comfortable to just come out and admit their prejudice that someone who speaks 'like me' should not be allowed to talk to parents in schools etc. I should add that my issues with speech production are directly related to having dyspraxia, as of course how well the muscles which control speech work is influenced by how efficiently messages about motor control are sent from the brain.
You need help from someone else urgently. When my tutor was trying to push me off my PGCE course (due to her prejudice that someone 'like me' shouldn't be teaching) I naively thought that I could somehow get her to understand what dyspraxia is and to be sympathetic towards me. The only way I got the tutors to allow me to complete the course and take my dyspraxia into consideration was through the involvement of Disability Services (part of Student Services) at my University. As you're attending a college, I don't know whether they'll have anything like this, but you need to find out straight away- there should at least be someone at the college who is responsible for students with disabilities. You need to get someone else to advocate for you, as it is likely to be very difficult for you alone to get the tutor to be supportive- your college's Disability Officer should be able to work with your tutor to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to enable you to complete your course successfully (you might need allowances such as extra time or the provision of specialist equipment such as software). You could also try contacting an organisation called Key 4 learning, as they can be good at intervening on behalf of people with conditions such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. Here's the link for them:
http://www.key4learning.com
You really shouldn't lose your place on the course because the tutor is ignorant about dyspraxia. Let us know what happens. If the worst comes to the worst and you lose the place, you should seriously consider taking legal action, but I hope it won't come to that.
Re: I need advice
Hi thanks for that I'm weighting to here back from them. I've herd from the college that I WILL be geting an action plan from the college next week that I have less than two weeks to put in to action before I HAVE a meeting to descuss if I will moved to a much lower level course.
I all so been told people with our condition "often get what you are being told wrong". That's is coming from a disableity and learning support said… our teacher has used scare tactics to do with universty witch we know are wrong.
I all so been told people with our condition "often get what you are being told wrong". That's is coming from a disableity and learning support said… our teacher has used scare tactics to do with universty witch we know are wrong.
Re: I need advice
This makes me think that they are trying to bully you onto a lower level course, without you having been given proper support. It is not acceptable to be given a 'two weeks to improve or else' ultimatum. What about longer term help so you can stay on the course you want to complete? There are software programs such as Inspiration which help you to plan and organise your work which they could provide funding for. You could also use equipment such as a digital recorder to take into lectures with you so that you don't have to worry about trying to keep up with writing lecture notes. The Disability and Learning Support person you spoke to seems to be coming up with generalisations about people with dyspraxia and doesn't know a lot about the condition. Isn't there anyone who is in overall charge of providing for people with disabilities at your college who you can speak to? It doesn't seem as if the person you have spoken to has been very helpful. It might be useful for you to contact Key4Learning for advice now and also for you to contact the Dyspraxia Foundation. You could contact the Dyspraxia Foundation by using the details given on their website, or it might be worth contacting them through Facebook (either by sending them a message or posting on their page). Do not let college tutors bully you off the course you want to do because of their ignorance.I've herd from the college that I WILL be geting an action plan from the college next week that I have less than two weeks to put in to action before I HAVE a meeting to descuss if I will moved to a much lower level course.