Sir, - It is widely believed in this country that we have one of the best education systems in the world. The recent improvement in our economy is attributed in part to our highly educated workforce. The findings of the OECD International Adult Literacy Survey which shows that one in four Irish adults have low literacy levels seems to have come as a surprise to many. Some have even been reluctant to accept these findings.
None of this is any surprise to our association. ACLD (Dyslexia Association) has been working in this field for 25 years. We are well aware of the difficulties which many children and adults have in learning to read, write and spell properly. We are also well aware of the reluctance of educational authorities to accept this fact and to respond appropriately.
ACLD was set up in 1972 to raise awareness of dyslexia and to lobby for the provision of diagnostic and appropriate intervention for people with specific learning difficulties. Because of the poor response to its lobbying, our Association was forced into offering services. ACLD now provides a free information service to the public which is widely availed of by teachers and parents. It offers a psycho-educational assessment service for children and adults, group and individual tuition for children and adults and 22 out-of-school workshops and four summer schools for children. Inservice training is provided to over 300 teachers yearly. Local branches of the association act as a support and resource to dyslexic children and their families.
In relation to adults with dyslexia we offer the only possibility for those without means to receive assessment and specific tuition. This is a major drain on our resources.
The local branches of the Association are serviced largely by the efforts of voluntary committees and dedicated teachers. From Clondalkin to Castleblayney and from Gardiner Street to Glenties, branches have been set up by local effort, in response to local demand and very real need. The teachers who service the workshops and the parents who operate the telephone help-lines from their own kitchens are not surprised at the level of literacy difficulties. Each branch of our association, each workshop opened, has been as a result of the experience of parents and teachers. The anxiety and frustration of parents who see their child struggling to learn to read, the disruption to home life of hours spent on homework, the distress caused to the child, the anger at the lack of specialised help within the schools are what causes parents to set up their own local ACLD workshop.
You don't need to tell the parents of a child with dyslexia that literacy is important. The worry of how a child will manage in second level school, the humiliation of teenagers who cannot read aloud, the fear of State exams, which rely on written answers are daily reminders of how crucial it is to be able to read, write and spell correctly.
Adults with dyslexia know about literacy problems. Getting a job is difficult if the application form you complete has writing and spelling errors. Keeping a job is difficult if you cannot read instructions, write reports and handle computations.
ACLD has been working with and for people with dyslexia in their efforts to achieve literacy for 25 years. In 1997, for the first time ever, we received a welcome grant of £25,000 from the Department of Education. We hope that this means that the work which is done is now being recognized and valued. The National Adult Literacy Agency has, very appropriately, made the case for improved funding for the excellent work which they carry out. We unite with NALA in this and we want to add our plea that the effort put in by our association should be adequately supported.
The education budget is now in the region of two billion pounds. Increased tax revenues mean that there is money available to be returned to the community - the "pay back time" has come. Helping people with dyslexia to read and write is vital work. Every input and every resource should be encouraged and developed. The work of ACLD supplements and complements what is done in mainstream education. It deserves to be supported. - Yours, etc.,
From Anne Hughes
Administrator, ACLD, (Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities), Suffolk Chambers, Suffolk Street, Dublin 2.