Student Stories

Learning experience at the University of Sydney

It seems that intellectual disability are still stigmatised at the university. There seems to be a presumption that smart (i.e. Sydney University) students are not affected by dyslexia. - As a tutor I encourage students to come forward and let me know if they are affected a disability or if they are struggling with the process of reading and writing. No student comes forward. Under-diagnosis and lack of experience and practical knowledge around diagnosis seems to be a problem. - Upon identifying a student with what appears to be a dyslexic style of writing, the course co-ordinator implied that it might not be appropriate to suggest to the student that they think about what they are finding difficult and whether it would be worthwhile getting tested. It seems the course co-ordinators are not always clear on how to proceed if students are struggling as that there is some anxiety around discussing disability with students. This is surely a hurdle to giving student the best support. - As a doctoral candidate I expected more of a individualised support structure, particularly around access to books, photocopying and printing; these are just my particular needs. I am from the UK and we have a different system there – one that offers more support for postgraduate dyslexic students, including a book allowance, IT support (a desktop computer), as well as photocopying. Financial strain continues to adversely affect dyslexic students. The Arts offer some provisions to offset the particular difficulties associated with dyslexic learning styles, but they could offer more.