What counts as a reasonable adjustment? Dyslexic students and the concept of fair assessment

Lecturer perspectives on dyslexia within one Greek university: A pilot study

“…There has been very little investigation into the views and perspectives of university staff about dyslexia. There are still concerns about the fairness of allowing dyslexic students special provision and additional contact with staff and questions about whether people with learning difficulties should be given university places at all (Cameron & Nunkoosing, 2012;Riddell & Weedon, 2006). As the views and attitudes of staff are likely to have an impact on student's learning and self-esteem, it was felt that an exploration of staff knowledge and perspectives are justified, particularly as there has been no research at all within the Greek higher educational system.…”

“…This is particular important for students with disabilities. Their achievement is influenced by faculty's knowledge of the relevant laws, willingness to provide accommodations, use of effective instructional strategies and knowledge of dyslexia characteristics (Riddell & Weedon, 2006;Sander, 2005).…”

“…Some of the difficulties that dyslexic students encounter at university are: lack of information at the entrance of university, academic staff appeared too busy to help (Holloway, 2001), inconsistency in understanding and provision of dyslexia within and between departments and universities (Riddell & Weedon, 2006), lack of flexibility in means of assessment methods (i.e emphasis on written assessment), differences between educators' beliefs and their actual practices. In addition, many students with dyslexia are fearful of an unsympathetic attitude, feel a stigma attached to being dyslexic and choose not to declare dyslexia from the beginning of their studies or resist incorporating dyslexia into their identity (Jamieson & Morgan, 2007;Riddick, 2010).…”

Trainee Teachers with Dyslexia: Results of a Qualitative Study of Teachers and their Mentors

“…Kate mentioned there had been no joint meeting between herself, the mentor and the university tutor prior to her placement. These meetings are useful in highlighting potential difficulties at the start of placements and identifying reasonable adjustments which can be put into place quite quickly (Riddell & Weedon, 2006). What was clearly evident within the data was that the mentors adopted a medical model which focused on discussing trainees' deficits rather than embracing an affirmation model of disability (French & Swain, 2000).…”

How might inclusive approaches to assessment enhance student learning in HE?

“…Alternative assessment methods Riddell and Weedon (2006) remind us disabled students are entitled to reasonable adjustments in assessment under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act (which is being embedded in a more extensive Equality Act, 2010, as this article is being published ) which can mean alternative ways of demonstrating learning outcomes. The new Act makes clear indirect discrimination of those with disabilities is illegal.…”