Exciting News! I held my first Dyslexia Awareness Session- online training information PD Session for teachers, teachers aides and parents and other interested individuals on Wednesday this week. It went well. I will be running another very soon. We need to share more and educate more in this area.Really enjoyed my first online Dyslexia Zoom session that we held on Wednesday for teachers and teachers aides across Australia. The interaction and the sharing was great. The participants loved their hands on activities and the interactive video clips. These clips showed how other reacted and helped produce solutions that they can put in place when they go back to their classrooms. It was interesting that a number of the participants felt that there was not enough information about what Dyslexia is and the different ways that it can affect people every day available . I love it when participants can generate solutions that may work and give others the support and encouragement and chance to do a task differently. This is what happened and how exciting when it works! The sharing of story is so important in this area. We need to break down barriers and stigma about Dyslexia. We can all make a difference if we link together to help create real change.
Great engagement and some really exciting discoveries as we progressed through the Dyslexia Zoom session. I actually was incredibly surprised as I felt we uncovered new research in this PD. After previously running these sessions for the past ten years and completing my book and Phd in this area and being privileged to witness and share participants stories and engagements I didn't think I would see something new. Some experiences and reactions emerged that have not been expressed publicly before. This new interaction really created a link between some of the issues that have previously emerged in this space across ADD, ADHD , and Autism. High dis-tractability over arched the participants experience. It wasn't what they expected! There was no focus on the actual task. Her mind was everywhere but there. I have to thank that participant for sharing her reaction. New Knowledge New Learning.
To get more details about what Dyslexia is and answers to your questions about assessment and support and to register and pay for the session just click on the link https://discoveringdisability.com.au/wp/skypesession/
or below-
Would you like some up to date information about Dyslexia? What are some solutions that can be helpful for a person who has Dyslexia?
Just click here and I will send you details of the Dyslexia information PD and how to register and join. I will also send you our information brochure and some helpful hints.
Exciting News …Book Launch Happened - Brisbane Parliament House
You can buy the book here
Special price for Semester 2 - ‘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.
If you order and buy the book online by clicking on the link above you will also be sent a bonus pack with some surprise goodies that help explore dyslexia and create some solutions of support that are explored in the book. Click here for more details https://youtu.be/yrIxZeoiaAA
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 prntrun 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 was very exciting to finally launch my A4 stand alone, hard copy book of ‘Discovering Dyslexia – Experiencing Mysteries and Exploring Solutions’ with the disability and education ministers. 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 is 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 launched the book at Parliament House in Brisbane during Disability Action Week. You can order it now.
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.
Have you heard about dyslexia font? I have had my children's storybook Discovery at Paradise Island printed in dyslexia font. Discovery at Paradise Island is my new children’s story book that has been reproduced in open dyslexic font. This book was originally published ten years ago in Lucinda Handwriting Font. I have been working in supporting individuals with dyslexia over the past ten years, since I originally published the book. In that time the open dyslexic font has been developed as one of the solutions to help support people who experience dyslexia. It is not a quick fix, but it is a tool that has been created to make reading the font a little easier for some. The feedback as to why it works and what it creates is quite exciting for some people. When the font is looked at you can see that the base of each letter is quite heavy and darker. When the reader’s eyes move across the page the letters are more stable and the usual movement is cut down. This makes the reading process calmer and more manageable. As with all of the issues that surround dyslexia not every person is the same in the way that they read and interact with the text. However, it seems that according to the research that surrounds this font it does have impact and help in the majority of cases. In the feedback I have had about the reprint of my dyslexic text children’s book most of the feedback is very positive about the engagement with the text and the story. Children stay reading the book and the majority of them finish the story over a number of weeks. This to me is very positive and the reason why I will continue to reproduce the next text run of the book using this international font.
The font in use is an open source font that can be downloaded and used by anybody for any purpose. The typeface includes regular, bold, italic, and bold italic styles. It is being updated continually and improved based on input from people who use the font. It has been designed to make the text heavier on the bottom of each letter in order to try to anchor it onto the page so there is less movement of the letters for the reader. There are no quick fixes for dyslexia, however there are some solutions that may make it easier for a person to read certain types of font on certain types of paper. I wanted to see whether it made it easier for this book to be read if it was printed in the open dyslexia font and on a cream based, environmentally friendly, low gloss paper.
Information about the open dyslexia font can be found on the website - http://opendyslexic.org.
It is definitely not the only answer for dyslexia, but again based on individual preference, it may be helpful for many people. Often people with dyslexia will describe letters that float or move around a page with no real anchor. This font adds gravity and weight to the letters and words as it is thicker at the bottom than at the top. Studies have found that text printed in this font often stays more still on the page and works better for them. It is important though that you ask students if it works for them. This is just another one of the solutions in the dyslexia puzzle. Have a look at the website and download this font from this website http://opendyslexic.org.
Title: Discovery at Paradise Island – second edition Printed in Open Dyslexic Font - Especially Helpful for Individuals with Dyslexia Ebook
ISBN: paperback - 978-0-9581610-9-1
This book is now available online through apple books and the google play store as well as Amazon, Kobo, Nook and Kindle. You need to use your device to download the book. You can click on the links below to download an online copy of the book written in dyslexia font.
Here are the links for the Open Dyslexic Ebook Edition:
iTunes: http://books.apple.com/us/book/id1497372236
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=0XLNDwAAQBAJ
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940163059805
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B084D7L1VC
Pdf version - you can also email me and request a pdf file be directly sent to your email for you to upload onto any device. My email address is boyces@usq.edu.au
Discovery at Paradise Island has also been produced as an audiobook on DVD. This book is read by Sharon Boyce who is the author. This is furthering my ideal to create inclusive texts and link between the written and spoken word to shape a more inclusive society.
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. What do people say about the workshop?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.
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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.