Good News for Neurodiverse/Dyslexic Tertiary Education learners
For most of the fifteen percent of kiwi learners with neurodiverse conditions like dyslexia, tertiary education has been a nightmare and a lottery. There are some great individual educators, but there have been no systems in place to provide appropriate education for people who are clever, but whose brains are wired differently.
On September 8th, 2021, the Aotearoa New Zealand Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark will be launched. The target audience is tertiary education organisations and the students inside those institutions.
There are approaching half a million students in tertiary education in New Zealand, from universities to community providers, and the Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark provides a process for these learners to get a better deal.
Mike Styles, a dyslexia consultant has been leading this project and the official launch week is the week 6 – 10 September.
“The Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark has established a set of standards for best practice in providing education and training for people with dyslexia. They are holistic and cover all parts of an education institution’s performance. Institutions that meet the standards will be awarded the Quality Mark”, says Mike. “This is a concrete step forwards for learners with dyslexia and the tertiary institutions themselves.
The initiative was funded by the Tertiary Education Commission and contracted out to Ako Aotearoa, the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence.
Already several tertiary education organisations have expressed interest in signing up. The first three trial organisation will be awarded the Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark as soon as Covid 19 permits Verification visits.
“Sadly, New Zealand has not provided a quality education for neurodiverse learners. Dyslexia is a hidden condition and people do not often care about things they cannot see. This initiative will shine a light on people with dyslexia. That is good for all of New Zealand Inc,” Styles says.
Mike Styles can be contacted on 021 504774
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