Transcript
My name is Stacey Abalogun. I’m a student at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. I’m in my third year training to be a dancer. I’m dyslexic and so it affects me when I am dancing when I’m picking up movement.
The teacher on the foundation course because there was quite a lot of writing involved, suggested that I go and speak to the learning support, and I went through a test and she said I wasn’t dyslexic. So I just went away thinking, oh well, you know, maybe I’m stupid after all. The year after I got referred to go again because my written work wasn’t up to standard. So after all the tests it came back that I was severely dyslexic.
I actually knew about the disabled students allowance form other students. I got a desk top computer, but on the computer they gave me different programmes to help me with my written work. I got ‘Inspiration’. It basically spider diagrams. It helps you break down information, say, for instance I’m gonna write an essay then I’d put the word in it to start with then spider off and it will give me other examples. Also I got ‘Read and Write Gold’, which is another programme where when I’m actually typing it will read it back to me.
I also got the scanner. So when I have got a lot of literacy I can scan it in to the computer and have it read out to me rather than me having to struggle to read. I also got a Dictaphone so if I’m ever in lectures I can just switch it on and process the information later. As well as that I got a camcorder, which is probably my biggest help of all. When I’m in class I’m able to record movement or choreography of my own works and then look back on it and you know, work on it at a later stage.
The course here I couldn’t ask for anything more. The teachers are all really, really good and they are all really supportive so you know if you if you’ve got any problems or you don?t understand anything at the end of class, you can always go and ask. And then you have time to practice after dinner, so you know, the teachers are always there.
There is a learning agreement, which I think every student signs and if you are dyslexic it kind of highlights your negative points and your positive points which all the teachers get a copy of. So for instance in my case I need to be shown the movement and if I ask, you know repeat it on several occasions, so I think it’s really good. The fact that everyone’s quite informed of everyone’s disabilities really.