Here you will find links relating to health care professionals with dyslexia.
Online papers [refereed].
Supporting nursing students with Dyslexia: Conference papers [Refereed].
Supporting nursing students with Dyslexia [Non refereed papers available On-line].
Articles, books and book chapters.
If you wish to add to the content or if you note any errors please email David Wright.
Blankfield S. 2001 Thick, problematic and costly? The dyslexic student on work placement SKILL Journal 70, 23-26 July.
Discussion of Blankfield's study of students with dyslexia on work placement. Although not specifically aimed at healthcare students the paper has much to offer in terms of understanding attitudes and problems faced by students who move from the university to the place of work. (Reproduced on this site with the kind permission of SKILL) [PDF].
Donohoe G 1996 Dyslexia and the NHS: The provision of support for health service professionals in education and practice
[Unpublished paper, submitted in part requirement for the award of Certificate in Education: Post-16], Sheffield Hallam University. [PDF]
O'Shea J 2003 How might the current literature assist higher education occupational therapy departments and fieldwork educators to support occupational therapy students with dyslexia whilst on clinical placement Occupational Therapy Dissertation, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield [PDF].
Wright DJ 2001 Nursing students with dyslexia: WWW support - an ongoing project. ITIN: The official journal of the British Computer Society's Nursing Specialist Group. 13(1) 18-22.
Winner of the Dame Phyllis Friend Award 2000-2001. Presented at the BSC Nursing Specialist Group 2001 Conference: Sharing the Patient Experience: Informatics and Research in Healthcare Practice. Tuesday 13 February 2001. Commonwealth Institute, Kensington High Street, London.
Also see the online PowerPoint presentation:
Graphic version (using Jpeg slides). Text readers: Go to text version.Use this link to Download the PowerPoint Presentation. Use this link to Download a text version of the Presentation [PDF].
Wright DJ 2000 Educational support for nursing and midwifery students with dyslexia, Nursing Standard 28(41), 35-41, June 28. [PDF]
Wright DJ 2000 Supporting nursing and midwifery students with dyslexia and other disabilities Disabling Practice? Enabling Nursing: Disability Network Newsletter No.4, December. [PDF]
Wright DJ 2001 Supporting Nursing Students with Dyslexia in one nursing school in the UK [PDF] Widening the Umbrella: Access for Everyone, Everywhere. Lloyd Convention Centre, Portland, Oregon, USA. 24 - 28 July, 2001.
Presented in the session: A discussion of peer-mentoring and academic support models for students with learning disabilities: An international perspective (Joint Presentation with Cathy O'Rourke, Loyalist College, Belleville, Ontario, Canada: 'The peer mentoring project for students with learning disabilities' Presented Friday 27 July 08.45 - 10.00). Association on Higher Education and Disability (www.ahead.org).
Wright DJ & Nunes JM Preliminary evaluation of a Web site to support students with dyslexia at the Sheffield University School of Nursing and Midwifery
SHIMR 2000 The Fifth International Symposium on Health Information Management Research Sheffield, England, 12-13th June, 2000 Organised by: The Centre for Health Information Management Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK http://www.shef.ac.uk/~is/research/chimr/shimr2000.html, [Poster presentation] (Conference Proceedings) [PDF].
Butler S 2000 Common Medical Words with Spelling Tips
This paper offers tips for helping health care students learn spelling of medical terminology. If you want to add to the tips please email the author at: s.butler@apu.ac.uk.
Available as a Word download file or PDF download.
Wright DJ 1999 Report on Nursing and Midwifery students with dyslexia (Presented to the Council of Deans). Dept. Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield. [PDF]
Wright DJ 1999 Nursing and midwifery - students with dyslexia: provision of support Report from: Working through higher education, Skill, Higher education conference, Thursday 2 December 1999. Chancellors Conference Centre, University of Manchester. [PDF]
Wright DJ 1999 A guide for student nurses and midwives with dyslexia, Dept. Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield. [PDF]
Wright DJ 1999 A guide for lecturers who support student nurses and midwives with dyslexia, Dept. Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield. [PDF]
Wright DJ 1998 Supporting nursing students with dyslexia through the examination process, Dept. Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield. [PDF]
[note: this paper relates specifically to the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield] This paper is now out of date, being superseded by new policies, changes to the Disability Discrimination Act and New rules allowing Nursing students with Disability to access a 'small' Disabled Student Allowance.]
Wright DJ 1997/8 (updated 1999) Supporting Nursing Students with Dyslexia, Dept. Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield. [PDF]
Anonymous. 1998 No limits Students with dyslexia may get extra funding [Brief Item] Nursing Standard. 13(10): 59, Nov 25-Dec 1
Anonymous 1994 Dyslexia spells trouble Nursing Standard 8(15) 52.
Beeker B 1985 Helping students succeed despite learning disability Nursing Health Care 6(10) 559-61.
Bradshaw MJ, Salzer JS. 2003 The Nursing Student With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Nurse Educator 28(4): 161-5 [July/August]
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in college-age students presents a complex challenge of coping with academic coursework, refining life skills, and addressing self-limitations. Behaviors that characterize ADHD are particularly problematic for nursing students, especially when the student has difficulty with behaviors that exemplify executive functioning. The authors discuss symptoms and treatments associated with the diagnosis of ADHD and evaluation and interventions for college students, based on guidelines from the Americans With Disabilities Act. Nursing faculty can facilitate academic success by recognizing the problem in nursing students and implementing strategies useful for self-management of ADHD.
Campbell J. 1989 Dyslexia and the older college student Nursing and Health Care 6(10): 559-61
Cobley R & Parry R 1997 Education. Spell check... dyslexia Nursing Times Apr 16-22; 93(16): 38-40.
Colon, EJ. 1997 Identification, accommodation, and success of students with learning disabilities in nursing education programs Journal of Nursing Education 36(8); 372-77. October.
Few studies have addressed the issue of nursing students with learning disabilities (LD) [dyslexia]. The purpose of this research was to discover the extent to which BSc in Nursing and associated Degree in Nursing programs admit, identify and graduate nursing students with LD.
Duffin C. 2001 Staff with dyslexia need more support at work [Brief Item] Nursing Standard 16(13-15): 6, Dec 12.
Eliason MJ. 1992 Nursing students with learning disabilities: Appropriate accommodation Journal of Nursing Education 31; 375-6 Oct.
This study discusses dyslexia and suggests simple accommodations to help these individuals succeed. There is a brief review of US legislation regulating admissions and accommodations. Specific learning disabilities are briefly outlined in terms of their frequency, predominant features, and suggestions for accommodations and teaching strategies are offered. Clinical examples of accommodations are also given.
Ellis R 2001 Dyslexic Nurses 'give out pills by colour' The mail on Sunday (reproduced at: http://www.elderly.guide2care.com/news/119.htm)
Highlights the concern of Prof. Paul Lewis of the UKCC about nurses with dyslexia having problems reading drug labels. There is a suggestion that students may not get the support they need in clinical placements to enable them to become safe practitioners.
Gilroy D & Miles T 1996 Spelling: Advice to a trainee nurse IN Dyslexia at College (2nd ed.) Routledge, London. Chap 12 [specifically pp. 131-6].
Green G 1994 No limits. Dyslexia spells trouble [letter] Nursing Standard Jan 5-11; 8(15): 52.
Guyer B 1987 Dyslexic doctors [letter] New England Journal of Medicine 1987 Jul 16; 317(3): 171.
Guyer BP 1988 Dyslexic doctors: a resource in need of discovery Southern Medical Journal Sep; 81(9): 1151-4.
Henderson D 2006 Dyslexic nurse may be struck off after drugs mix-up The Herald (Scotland) Nov 11 (Sat): http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/74181.html
A dyslexic nurse is facing being struck off after she confused one of the drugs she was about to administer to a patient.
Illingworth K 2005 The effects of dyslexia on the work of nurses and healthcare assistants Nursing Standard 19(38) 41-48.
Illingworth explores the effects of being dyslexic on the working lives of nurses and healthcare assistants (HCAs), and identifies what might be done to improve their working lives. A qualitative approach was used and the findings suggest that dyslexia affects each individual differently and may affect career choice and career progression. Support from colleagues and employers is important. Participants identified dyslexia-friendly practices and made suggestions for improvements. Establishing a dyslexia-friendly workplace would help Nurses and HCAs with dyslexia achieve their maximum potential and make a major contribution to patient care.
Ijiri L. Kudzma EC. 2000 Supporting nursing students with learning disabilities : a metacognitive approach Journal of Professional Nursing 16(3): 149-57, May-Jun.
As more students with diagnosed learning disabilities (LD) enrol in college nursing pograms, nursing educators must increase their understanding of ways to support these students with out compromising academic standards. This article examines the characteristics of students with LD from a metacognitive perspective, identifies curricular issues specific to a typical nursing curriculum, reviews legal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), and provides examples of classroom and clinical modifications including teaching approaches that can benefit all students.
Kolanko KM. 1999 A collective case study of nursing students with learning disabilities (attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity disorder) Duquesne University Ph.D.
This collective case study describes the meaning of being a nursing student with a learning disability and examines how baccalaureate nursing students with learning disabilities experienced various aspects of the nursing program and how their disabilities and previous educational and personal experiences influenced the meaning that they gave to their nursing education experiences. Data analysis revealed five themes: (1) struggle, (2) learning how to learn with LD, (3) issues concerning time, (4) social support, and (5) personal stories. Recommendations for nurse educators include transferring knowledge about clients with neurological dysfunctions to teaching students with LD, using personal and educational stories to gain insight into learning-disabled students, and using knowledge of these experiences to guide nurse educators in policymaking, advisement, instruction, and evaluation.
Lane M & Hayes C 1996 A student discovers she is dyslexic Imprint (Nov/Dec) 43(5) pg.56.
Martyn K (2000) Dyslexia in the professions - The case of nurse education. IN Bourne T, Katz T, Watson D (Eds) (2000) New directions in professional higher education Buckingham & SRHE and Open University Press, Buckingham. In Chapter 10: Assessment and standards (pg. 191 - 199).
Munro R. 2001 Council to probe threat to public from dyslexia Nursing Times 97(50): 7.
[NB: I have not found evidence that the NMC probed the threat to the public from nurses with dyslexia.]
Nganasurian W 1994 Spelling it out Nursing Standard 8(35) 42-3.
Selekman J. 2002 Nursing students with learning disabilities Journal of Nursing Education 41(8): 334-9.
Children with learning disabilities grow up to be adults with learning disabilities , who may go to nursing school. It is essential for nurse educators to be knowledgeable about learning disabilities , to understand the issues involved, and to use appropriate interventions to help these students succeed.
Sheehan M & Nganasurian W 1994 Education: spelling it out. The student’s tale. The teacher's tale Nursing Standard May 25-31; 8(35): 42-3.
Shellenbarger T 1993 Helping the dyslexic nursing student Nurse Educator Nov-Dec; 18(6): 10-3.
Shellenbarger briefly outlines dyslexia. She recommends referring the student to a learning disability expert examination. Following diagnosis, the learning disability specialist can make recommendations for specific accommodations to help the individual student succeed.
Shepherd K. 2002 People with dyslexia are quite capable of nursing Nursing Standard 16(36): 30
Shuler S 1990 Nursing students with learning disabilities: Guidelines for fostering success Nursing Forum 25(2) 15-8.
Learning disabilities can be devastating for the nursing student, interfering with academic performance and with success. With in the past five to ten years, college educators are seeing an increasing number of students with learning disabilities diagnosed in the 1970s, who are now ready for higher education. This article describes the problem, gives characteristics by which the student with a learning disability can be identified, and suggests methods for assisting the student in school and on the national licensing examination following graduation.
Stephens A. 1999 Dyslexia support system: A staff-student awareness booklet The Student Office and the Faculty of Health and Social Care, Leeds Polytechnic.
Sutton S. 2002 Awareness of dyslexia is something to aim for Nursing Standard 17(7): 30.
Taylor C 2001 Ask the experts ... do colleges help people with dyslexia? Nursing Standard 15(46): 27.
Taylor K.E. Walter J. 2003 Occupation choices of adults with and without symptoms of dyslexia Dyslexia 9(3): 177-85.
There is some evidence that people with dyslexia also have talents in other areas such as visuospatial processing. This pattern of strengths and weaknesses may predispose people with dyslexia towards certain occupations and away from others. Adults with symptoms of dyslexia were much less likely than adults not reporting such symptoms to be involved in professions such as science/computing, management and finance. They were more likely to be involved in people-oriented professions such as nursing or sales.
Tumminia P & Weinfield A 1983 Teaching the learning-disabled student Nurse Educator 8 (winter) 12-4.
Watkinson S 2002 Dyslexia is a cause for concern in nursing Nursing Standard 16(32): 30.
Watson PG 1995 Nursing students with disabilities: a survey of baccalaureate nursing programs Journal of Professional Nursing May-Jun; 11(3): 147-53.
Webster G 1994 A student's struggle: The problems of dyslexia Nursing (New Zealand) Apr; 2(3): 18-9 1172-1979.
Wiles J. 2001 In good company: (Why people with dyslexia should not be barred from nursing) Nursing Standard 15(48): 23
Wiles J. 2001 There's more to nursing than the three R's Nursing Times 97(27): 19.
Wright DJ, Nunes JM & Katechia S 2000 WWW support for nursing students with dyslexia and their tutors Health Informatics Journal 6(2) 91-99, June.
British Dyslexia Association
98 London Road
Reading
Berkshire, RG1 5AU
Student Helpline 0173 466 8271
(Open 10.00-12.30 & 14.00-16.45 weekdays)
Dyslexia Institute
133 Gresham Road
Stains
Middlesex, TW18 2AJ
Skill - the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities
336 Brixiton Road
London, SW9 7AA
Tel & Minicom: 0171 978 9890
(1.30pm - 4.30pm Monday to Friday)
Fax: 0171 274 7840
(For general information about students with disabilities)
Facing up to dyslexia and other learning difficulties
Link: http://www.nusonline.co.uk/content/advice.php?site=&itm_sect=/nus/advice/disabilities/&articleid=12765
Advice and links about dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
Dyslexia: Helpful advice for students with dyslexia
Link: http://www.nusonline.co.uk/content/advice.php?site=&itm_sect=/nus/advice/disabilities/&articleid=11570.
The JISC TechDis service aims to improve provision for disabled staff and students in further, higher and specialist education sectors through technology.
Accessible Curricula - Good Practice For All: http://www.techdis.ac.uk/pdf/curricula.pdf
Produced to assist University staff in designing and delivering coursework, allowing for the divergent needs of student populations. Designing accessible curricula is good practice and is now a legal requirement.
University of Sheffield: Teaching Students with Dyslexia: http://www.shef.ac.uk/disability/teaching/dyslexia/index.html
University of Sheffield: Information for Disabled/Dyslexic Students: http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssd/central/disability/contents.html
Bangor Dyslexia Unit: http://www.dyslexia.bangor.ac.uk/
Finding Universities: a map of Universities and links to departments can be found at the University of Wolverhampton UK Sensitive Maps - Universities & HE Colleges.
Also see: Legal and Social Policy issues.
Also see: World Wide Web Links.
Copyright 1999 © David J Wright
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