Exciting News …Book Launch Happened… September 18 2019 11:30 am - Brisbane Parliament House
You can buy the book here
‘Discovering Dyslexia – Experiencing Mysteries and Exploring Solutions - a resource and information guide for students, teachers, parents, and educators.’
Author - Sharon Boyce
ISBN – 978-0-9581610-3-9
I am really excited about this dyslexia book. It is a resource and information guide covering everything about dyslexia and what it means and how it has been seen through history; But it is a whole lot more than that...experiential awareness and understanding is the key to this book. It is exploring hidden disability and difference.
It presents a whole new way to understand what dyslexia is and what it actually means for people who experience it. It uses examples as simulations of real texts to create a feeling of the frustration and the way information is processed for a person with dyslexia. It can be used in so many different ways. It depends on your role as to what you want to gain from the book or how you want to use it, to either help yourself or to help others or both! The printing company sent me a couple of pictures of the completed print run and I think the book looks bright and inviting for the reader. There is really nothing else like this resource and it can be used in so many ways. I love the fact it is easy to read and I love the reactions I get from people who have used this and really benefited from it.
My best reaction has been from a family of a teenager with dyslexia. The dad thought his son was not interested in doing homework and avoided improving and working through his lessons each night. There was nightly conflict. His mum was working at the school tuckshop and saw me using the resource with teachers. She asked me whether she could borrow the book and take it home to show her husband what their son actually saw when he was trying to read or complete his homework.
The result was a dad who really respected his son and the difficulty he had when he was trying to work through his homework every night. Instead of conflicts and criticism the dad had an empathy and some understanding of what was happening for his boy every time he tried to complete what he was asked by the teacher. The outcome was one of collaboration and care. This is what I aim to achieve with this book and the strategies that I encourage individuals to take on. It is a practical guide to understand dyslexia. Hands-on activities and different support strategies are also explored.
It will be very exciting to finally launch my A4 stand alone, hard copy book of ‘Discovering Dyslexia – Experiencing Mysteries and Exploring Solutions’ on September 18. This book was originally designed as a kit and has now been collated into a go to guide book full of information about dyslexia. The book answers lots of the questions about dyslexia that we all want to know. It has been written in simple English and has been printed on non-glossy paper so it is easy to read for people who have dyslexia and really for everybody. The book contains lots of pictures to support the written text. It also is only left hand justified. The book has been written over the past 15 years and is a collection of data from my own research as well as information from hundreds of participants that have been a part of my disability awareness workshops over that time. It is their stories and their shared experiences that have helped shape this collection of knowledge. It is also based around the premise of all of my work that experiential understanding is the key to real learning. We can have all the head knowledge from text books, but without practical lived understanding real knowledge will not be as strong. We all want to see how other people see and this book tries to replicate that to some extent so we all have some understanding of what is happening for a person who has dyslexia.
I have not left out any solutions or ideas that I have discovered over time that may help somebody with dyslexia to be able to read better or easier. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another but I do not want to miss something that may help change a person’s life. I have tried to make sure I have covered all areas about dyslexia and from all angles. Some solutions seem so simple while others are more complex. I guess this is the same with life and I think that we need to make sure that we don't dismiss something because we don't think it will work.
The book is easy to read with many pictures and examples of dyslexia. It is good for teachers, educators, parents, students and in fact anybody who wants to learn more about what dyslexia is and also try and find some solutions as to what happens and what might help. There is no quick fix but if we understand and have some ideas about problems with reading we may be able to have more conversation about dyslexia and also demystify what is happening for so many people in our world. It has been a privilege to work with so many teachers and students while I have been researching this topic. I have learned so much and been able to explore what other individuals see and link experiential understanding to practical learning.
The book is a how-to guide for everybody and anybody who has ever wondered about dyslexia or is affected by dyslexia in some way. There are examples of what dyslexia feels and looks like. There are a huge variety of solutions that are explored and demonstrated. It is very hands on with many simulations and a variety of page types and colours with which the reader can engage and explore issues further.
The book will be available in the online shop at www.discoveringdisability.com.au or by emailing me directly at boyces@usq.edu.au . The cost of the book is $95 and this includes postage and handling as well. The book is made up of 10 chapters plus Appendices that explore dyslexia historically, as well as educationally. There are chapters that immerse the reader in an experience of feeling what dyslexia is like and there are also chapters that recreate what dyslexia looks like for some people. It does not claim to have every answer to dyslexia but what it does is try to capture what it feels like to have dyslexia and have to participate in our everyday world. It also explains what dyslexia is and creates a real understanding of what is happening for people and suggests some practical solutions.
The Disability Minister Coralee O’Rourke and I will be launching the book on September 18 at Parliament House in Brisbane during Disability Action Week. I will be taking pre orders and will be able to process these very soon.
To order the books you will just need to return email me at boyces@usq.edu.au I will also have an area online on my website at www.discoveringdisability.com.au where you will be able to order the books from my online shop as well. You will need to give me your name and postal address or if it is easier directly order from the website through PayPal.
Disability Awareness Training Workshops - Discovering DisAbility and Diversity Program of Experiential Learning 
Discovering DisAbility and Diversity program is a disability awareness program that is based around unique hands-on experiential activities. It is a mobile inclusive education experience that allows participants to experience a taste of disability and then create a response and solutions to that experience. Presented by a person with lived expert experience.It was developed and designed by Sharon Boyce, and it promotes the active discovery of disability and diversity through various hands-on activities. It has been running for the past fifteen years and aims at creating real understanding of key disability areas, both the physical and the hidden areas. It links experience to real life and encourages participants, whether children or adults, to make adjustments to their lives once they have a real understanding of disability. The program allows children and adults to experience disability and diversity in their own environment. We bring the program to you. This encourages tolerance and resilience and also lessens bullying.Sharon
Sharon is committed to creating a world where real lived inclusion is possible. She believes by real hands on education and experience and by telling her story and the stories of others that barriers can be broken down and real understanding can be achieved.
Read her story
Workshops
Sharon has designed and developed programs for children and adults to experience disability and diversity in their own environment. Also teacher professional development workshops sessions which create real understanding and experience of disability.
Find out about the Programs
Resources
We have developed resources to assist your understanding of disability and diversity, and for your promotion of equity and an understanding of disability in schools and organisations.