The Dyslexia Commission, chaired by Matt Hancock, supported by the British Dyslexia Association and facilitated by Curia, has been working all year to bring together experts and understand how public services and society can better accommodate dyslexia.
Despite the political turmoil of 2022, the work of policy must go on. Curia (Chamber’s sister organisation) is a policy institute that this year, has been running a Dyslexia Commission in conjunction with former Health and Care Secretary, Matt Hancock MP and the British Dyslexia Association.
Dyslexia is one of those important but not urgent issues which, in times of crisis, can be overlooked. There is very little the Government can do to instantly resolve the issues that dyslexics face when interacting with public services. However, if the Government doesn’t act to reform public services so they accommodate the one in ten people with dyslexia, over time, that failure will cost the UK a massive waste of talent, productivity and the wellbeing of dyslexic people and their families.
Commission Themes
First Session
- Disparity in public service provision
- Teacher training and culture
- Schools White Paper and SEND Review
Second Session
- Co-ordination of care
- Integration of care systems
- Improving access and uptake of the latest technologies
Third Session
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Funding and resources
Fourth Session
- Dyslexia in the workplace
- Dyslexia in the criminal justice system
Inquiry Sessions
Curia and the commissioners met in early 2022 to decide which areas of dyslexia policy to focus on. They decided that they wanted to run four inquiry sessions—covering a variety of themes with a variety of experts.
The inquiry sessions this year have been conducted remotely, allowing experts from around the country to contribute their opinions. Panellists have included specialist teachers, representatives from civil society, academics, Think Tank experts, leaders in adaptive technology, former prison inmates, school leaders, peers, MPs and civil servants—many of whom are dyslexic.
Curia’s process involves facilitating conversations from varied perspectives to make sure that suggested solutions don’t create as many problems as they fix. The focus is always on solutions; when working with diverse perspectives, there is a strong temptation to spend time defining problems and getting everyone to agree to that definition. However, when problems and organisations are complex, we inevitably have slightly different definitions of the problem, so instead, we focus on what is to be done.
Outcomes
Now that the inquiry sessions are complete, Curia is compiling recommendations and summaries that will ultimately establish a report that will be published early in 2023. The Commission has aimed to provide a holistic overview of dyslexia policy. As you might expect, education policy is where most of the recommendations fall, but the Commission has also covered employment, criminal justice and connected care policy as well. Accommodating dyslexia will take efforts from across society, not just public services, and certainly not just the education system. Once our systems can accommodate dyslexia, we will begin to see more of what this different way of thinking can do.
Some of the recommendations currently being produced by the Commission focus on the need to upskill all teaching staff in order to ensure early identification and early support, improving SENCo qualifications, and including parents in the mediation process between teachers, schools and local authorities so that the needs of dyslexc children are better represented and addressed.
If you would like to be sent a copy of the Dyslexia Commission 2022 report or if you would like to take part in our expanded Education Commission in 2023, please email us at team@curiauk.com