Difference not disability – using the voice of the dyslexic academic to challenge the stereotypes of dyslexia in higher education

Difference not disability – using the voice of the dyslexic academic to challenge the stereotyping of dyslexia within higher education.

This thesis focuses on the voice of those working in academia who are dyslexic to consider the impact of the label of dyslexia in higher education. It considers the impact and influence of lecturer identity upon the discourse around dyslexia in higher education. It seeks to challenge the idea that institutional culture surrounding dyslexia might be at odds with the experience of dyslexic educators.

Critical in nature, it questions the restrictions and rigidity of approaches to learning within higher education. Using group workshops and collective memory research (Davis and Gannon, 2008), a series of free-flowing conversational were recorded to capture spoken words and experiences summarised. The discussions included life stories and narratives that revealed traumatic classroom memories. Using this collective voice, the research seeks to challenge the commonly used deficit model of dyslexia in higher education institutions.

The workshop discussions were prompted by using words and phrases from an analysis of website and student facing literature within Canterbury Christ Church University. Following the workshops, the recordings were transcribed, and key themes were identified and highlighted using a reflexive thematic approach. The recordings were then edited in consultation with the participants into a final podcast which is submitted as an audio artifact alongside the written submissions.

The discussions that developed challenge the perceived stereotypes and negative connotations around dyslexia within academic life at university. The work seeks to consider how educational institutions might use the voice of the disabled and ‘unheard’ to challenge the stigma often associated by the label. It is proposed that the study could in turn be used to drive organisational change from within higher education institutions.

Throughout the period in which the research was conducted (2021 – 2023) there has been a societal shift towards the use of the term ‘neurodivergent’. to include those diagnosed with dyslexia and other conditions that affect aspects of learning. Some of the participants in the workshops had received such diagnoses.