Dyslexia, The Self and Higher Education: Learning Life Histories of Students Identified as Dyslexic

Although more students who are labelled as dyslexic are entering universities, little has been done to identify their needs. This book gives an account of dyslexia and provides guidance to universities to work effectively with dyslexic students. It focuses on the students’ own views about their experience of dyslexia and education.

David Pollak shows that because the students have absorbed ideas about their dyslexia from a disparate range of resources, they have widely differering views on the nature of dyslexia. But their learning histories show that the self-concepts of all of them have been radically affected by being labelled.

Early chapters explain the main issues about dyslexia and the historical responses in education. The body of the book is based on research with students at four universities and deals with the socio-emotional effects of dyslexia as well as the implications for their learning. Recommendations are drawn from the students’ views and experiences to suggest what the academy should be doing for these students.

This is an important book for the Higher Education sector, from management to tutoring and is relevant also to its inclusivity and widening participation agenda.