newsletterspring/summer

2017

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AGM 2017 ....................................................................................................................... 3

Have your Voice Heard - DAI 2017 Surveys................................................................. 3

Anna Devin - Irish Soprano ........................................................................................... 4

New DAI Branch Structure ............................................................................................ 6

Empowerment Workshop for Young People .............................................................. 7

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2017 ................................................................................... 7

Our Dyslexia - from local to national - Mary Scully .................................................... 8

Career Paths Course for Adults with Dyslexia ............................................................ 9

Tips for Students Preparing for Junior or Leaving Cert. Maths Exams ...................... 10

Explanation of Some Keywords and Phrases in Maths ............................................ 12

Advocacy Update ........................................................................................................ 14

VHI Women’s Mini-Marthon June 2017 ....................................................................... 15

Keelings Choose DAI as their Current Staff Charity ................................................... 15

Keelings Golf Classic ..................................................................................................... 15

DAI Guidelines on Individual Tuition for Dyslexia ...................................................... 16

Job Vacancy - Cashel Branch Coordinator ............................................................. 17

EDA Autumn Seminars ................................................................................................ 17

My Journey with Dyslexia - Ed Kenny ......................................................................... 18

DAI Courses and Seminars ........................................................................................... 19

Just Look and Cook Cookbook ................................................................................... 19

Contents

The Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) is currently supported by some funding fromthe Department of Education and Skills (DES), SOLAS, KWETB and the Department ofHousing, Planning, Community and Local Government’s SSNO scheme administeredby Pobal.

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AGM 2017The Annual General Meeting of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland will be held atour national office in Joyce’s Court, Talbot Street, Dublin 1, on Saturday, 27th May2017 from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Formal notification has previously been sent to allour current members in early May.

Agenda1. Minutes of 2016 AGM2. President’s Address3. CEO’s Report4. Financial Report & Accounts 20165. Debate on Motions

- Special Resolution on adoption of updated Constitution- Special Resolution on adoption of updated Company Governance

Handbook6. Election of Board/National Executive Committee7. Appointment of Auditors8. Any Other Business

Copies of all relevant documents are available on our website atwww.dyslexia.ie/agm2017

If you would like to receive a hard copy of any of these documents, pleasecontact us at 01 8776001 or email info@dyslexia.ie and a copy will be posted toyou. Copies will also be available on the day.

Have Your Voice Heard - DAI 2017 SurveysIn order to gain a picture of the current dyslexia experience in Ireland, DAI isconducting a series of surveys with different groups. This provides an importantavenue for your voice to be heard. It will also assist DAI in planning our activities,especially in the area of advocacy and campaigning for the current needs ofpeople affected by dyslexia in Ireland. Essentially we want to know yourexperience of dyslexia in Ireland today.

There are 4 surveys now open:Parents: www.surveymonkey.com/r/DAIParent2017Students with dyslexia (18 and under): www.surveymonkey.com/r/DAIStudent2017Adults with dyslexia: www.surveymonkey.com/r/DAIAdult2017Teachers: www.surveymonkey.com/r/DAITeacher2017

We would ask that you please complete the appropriate surveys, and please letothers know about the surveys. The more responses we get, the more weight thatwill add to our advocacy campaigns. We thank you in advance for yourparticipation.

Please Follow DAI on Twitter and Like Us on FacebookDAI is eager to keep in regular contact with our members,and we are very active on social media as it is a great wayto keep our followers informed. We would really encourageall members to follow DAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Anna Devin is an Irish soprano building aninternational reputation. She hasperformed on operatic and concert stagesacross Europe and the US. Anna wasinterviewed by Ross Duncan.

How did you first learn about your owndyslexia? I was lucky that my motherspotted the signs very early on when I firststarted to read. My mother and sister areboth avid readers and very good withlanguage so when my mother saw mestruggling she knew something wasn’tquite right and sent me to be tested. So Ithink I was only about 6 at the time.

What support were you first given? At thetime I was in a convent school in Irelandand they wouldn’t take my test resultsseriously so I had private lessons outsideschool to teach me to cope and learnsome methods to help me in class.

If you had a chance to go back in time,back to your school years what would youchange that would have made it better foryou going through education withdyslexia? I would have used a lot morepictures, diagrams and audio resources tohelp me learn. The killer for me wasstarting with the written text, it would takeme 20 times as long to learn from a bookthan it would if I started with pictures. Andunfortunately a lot of subjects teachdirectly from books and with written text.

What gives you the spark of inspiration ormotivates you? It is easy to be motivatedas a singer because we are lucky to havean audience to share our work with. Thereis nothing better then bringing joy topeople. Nowadays everything moves sofast with technology and instantinformation, that to sit still for 3 hours andjust be is very hard. I think classical musicand opera allows this time for people and Ifeel very privileged to be able to providethis. I think my motivation comes fromdeep inside me, I am not sure where but itis always there, I like to achieve things andshare with the world. There are manypeople in the world that can motivate youbut you must find your own journey as no

two paths are the same. So I thinkhappiness and joy are probably my maininspirations.

Do you see your dyslexia as an advantageor a disadvantage as an opera singer? I trynot to look at dyslexia as a disadvantageany more, I already have a lot of old ideasabout not being good enough and notunderstanding quick enough. This is nothelpful and is only relevant when you lookat the traditional form of teaching. No twobrains work the same. I have learnt a lotfrom being an opera singer because ifmade me face my childhood fears,languages. I always struggled most inthose subjects at school but since I havelearnt to work with them on an everydaybasis and have sung in 7 differentlanguages I no longer feel inhibited. Ipersonally think being dyslexic is anadvantage to being an opera singerbecause it forces you to think outside thebox and find new ways of making thingswork. When youare workingwith directorsthis is veryimportant. Youhave to processthe informationthey are givingand try and finddifferentoptions to showthem so youeventually findthe right one.

In what way would you consider yourselfas being creative? I don’t know to behonest, except that I try to come up withnew ideas and stories all the time. The joyof being on stage is that it is everchanging, so creativity is part of everydaylife. Directors and Conductors will give youa frame work to work within and then it ismy job to come up with ideas and ways ofachieving this. Once you get to the actualperformance this creativity continuesbecause every live performance isdifferent, you never know what is going togo wrong or change so you have to be

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Anna Devin - Irish Soprano Interview by Ross Duncan

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open at all times. It is hard to say how Ido this as it is there all the time.

Singing exact words in a differentlanguage must be challenging? For memusic was always my first love and then Igrew to love the stories and poetry thatinspires it. In opera we spend a lot of timepreparing and learning our roles inadvance of rehearsal so when we arrivewe have another month or so for them tobe very deeply engrained, the words andthe music become one, especially whenyou’re singing something like Mozart asthe drama and music are perfectlyformed together. We all forget our wordssometimes but it doesn’t really matterbecause its very often just a split secondand nobody wants a robot performingopera to them. In regards to language Iam still working on speaking foreignlanguages; the hardest part for me islearning everyone else’s lines but havinglong rehearsal periods to associate thewords with someone’s character andposition on the stage really helps.

Do you think it takes longer for you tolearn? No I think I am quite a quicklearner now I have my methods; if I canfollow the process it works.

Do you have or have you developed yourown special techniques to learn? I havedefinitely developed my own techniquesand it has taken time. I am still looking atnew ways to learn quicker or moreefficiently. I have an order I follow whichhelps my brain to co-ordinate everything.

Do you think many people are aware youhave dyslexia? I don’t think people whodon’t know I am dyslexic realise I am,because I have honed my skills to workfor me. Sometimes people are shocked,but I always think it is obvious when I mixup words.The fear of being wrong seemsnever to go away because of all thattime it was engrained in school. I find thishard and sad and I hope that otherchildren can see it as a gift rather then ahindrance. Or does it really matter? I don’t think it matters, I am who I am!

Someone once said to me being dyslexicthere can be a feeling of “educationalsnobbery”, people assuming someonewith dyslexia is “less academic”. Is thissomething you have encountered? I thinkthere are a lot of very successful Dyslexicsin the world so this is irrelevant once youfind your path. I do think there is a bit ofthis when you are in formal education. Ithink I am highly academic and in manysubjects I learn faster because of myvisual brain, e.g. biology, maths, art,music. In things like history, geography,English it has taken me longer to find mymethods, but I am sure if I went back tomy school days and was taughtdifferently it would not be a problem. Ido however believe academia is onlyone path and it not always the path tosuccess.

In an ideal world what changes wouldyou like to see to make things more equalfor people with dyslexia in Ireland and therest of the world? I think dyslexicunderstanding and awareness needs tobe raised everywhere. I recently heard ofa friends child who was only diagnosed atthe age of 11. I think this is too old andcomes at a difficult time for a child’semotional development; I think thereshould be screening for all children fromthe age of 5/6. Dyslexia is quite commonand the sooner the education systemstake this seriously and educate teachersproperly in it the better things will be. Idon’t see why a dyslexic student shouldbe considered a hindrance, schools arealways looking for the best grades tokeep themselves high on the tables. Ifthey took some time to include thedyslexic students in pushing for the gradesthey would be higher on the tables asdyslexic students would thrive. To me thiswould be the ideal, in every country.

What would you like to do in the future?Continue to bring joy to people throughmusic and inspire people who feel therepath is not clear-cut to find a waythrough to a path of satisfaction.

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Following a major review in 2016 toclarify, define and document thegovernance position as regards thenational organisation, the companyand the affiliated Branches, the Boardof DAI began the process ofamalgamating Branches within theformal company structure so that theywould become centrally governed andmanaged from January 2017.

We are pleased to report that as ofJanuary 1st 2017, 25 Branches havebeen incorporated into the company.A TUPE (transfer of undertakings)process has been completed to transferthe employment of former Branchemployees into the nationalassociation. The restricted funds, assetsand liabilities held by these Brancheshave also been incorporated into thecompany, and new management andgovernance procedures put into place.Branch reserves brought into thecompany remain linked with, andrestricted for the future use of, thatparticular Branch location, and asalways each Branch must continue torun sustainably within its own means.

Each Branch is now headed by thelocal Branch Coordinator (formallyknown as the Workshop Coordinator)with support from the Branch’s Parents’Committee/association and BranchTutors. DAI’s Head of Psychological andEducational Services, Donald Ewing,manages the network of BranchCoordinators. All central Branchadministration and financial work isdone by Mary Scully, our new BranchFinance Administrator.

As part of this reform process, anddespite the Board’s best efforts to

reassure Branches as to the merits andnecessity for incorporation, fourBranches chose to becomeindependent entities (Kilkenny,Letterkenny, Offaly and Sliabh Liag) andthese groups no longer have anyaffiliation or connection with the DAIeffective from 1st January 2017.

This significant organisation/companyrestructure was undertaken to enablefull compliance with Companies andCharities legislation and to enhanceconsistency, quality assurance, riskmanagement and good governancestandards throughout DAI nationwide.The new centralised model will help DAIincrease volunteer participation inservice delivery at Branch level, usingsuitably trained volunteers inappropriate roles to enhance serviceprovision and will help lead to a moresustainable and cost-effective model,with better equity of access.

As a result of this amalgamation andrestructuring process, DAI will be able tofully adopt the Governance Code forCommunity, Voluntary and CharitableOrganisations(www.governancecode.ie) in 2017.

We thank all staff and volunteers in ourBranches, all staff and volunteers atnational office, our Board (and sub-committees) for all their work to enablethis significant and positiveorganisational change.

New DAI Branch Structure

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Young people from Kildare Branch attendedan empowerment workshop in DAI NationalOffice

On April 12th, twelve brilliant young peoplefrom our Kildare workshop attended a youthempowerment session in the DAI with ourInformation and Advocacy Coordinator AmySmyth. The workshop centred around youngpeople speaking about their experiences ofDyslexia – both good and bad and how iteffects their day to day lives. As Amy herself isalso Dyslexic the session was a bit of a Dyslexic love in! To conclude theworkshop, the young people made a collage of words that they feel representtheir dyslexia. This was a particularly moving and uplifting experience for allinvolved. Some of our favourite words from the collage were: Brave, HardWorking, Open Minded, Cool, Interesting, Friendly and Smart!

The workshop was a great success in that it enabled the young people to askquestions about dyslexia, how it effects other people and examine what it meansto be a young person with dyslexia in 2017 all in a safe, non – judgemental andsupportive space. It was also important to see that we are not alone in theemotions that come with Dyslexia. What was most illuminating was that everyfeeling about dyslexia – good and bad, that was spoken about resonated witheveryone in the group. It is very clear that we are all in this together!

If any of our Branches/Workshops are planning a day out for participants andwould like to organise a similar session you can get in contact with Amy onamysmyth@dyslexia.ie.

Empowerment Workshop for Young People

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2017Dyslexia Awareness Week will take place from 2-8 October, 2017. Our theme thisyear is Hidden Potential and we will be seeking to raise awareness of the hiddenpotential of people with dyslexia and the importance of access to timelyidentification and interventions to enable people to achieve their potential. Weare planning a range of events and activities for the week.

We will be sharing the wonderful short film ‘Hidden Potential’ as well as sharingpersonal stories of dyslexia via videos and comments on social media using thehashtag #iwishyouknew. We would invite members to send in a video or textcomment on what you wished people knew about the reality of dyslexia andyour hidden potential. Please send your videos or written quotes to Amy Smythour Information and Advocacy Coordinator (amysmyth@dyslexia.ie) who will becollating these for Dyslexia Awareness Week 2017.

Further details will be shared via our monthly eNewsletters and on our websiteand social media pages closer to Dyslexia Awareness Week in October.

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Mary Scully, our new Branch FinanceAdministrator, writes on her journey withDAI.

There youare, sittingquietly atyour deskon a greyApril daywhen therecomes aknock onyour door.In walks a toothy smile followed by yourboss Rosie and you just know this isgoing to be unpleasant! She says “MaryI’d like you to write about yourself forthe newsletter” and your gut reaction isto reach for the nearest piece of workto hand, in my case a yellow post itnote, and beg off from the taskclaiming uber-important work to bedone. No such luck! So I sit here thinkingabout Mary the parent of a dyslexicchild, Mary the founding member andvolunteer treasurer of the Kildare TownBranch of the Dyslexia Association andMary your new BFA - Branch FinanceAdministrator or as we affectionatelyrefer to the role, the big friendlyadministrator! At the outset of this task Iwas daunted because I didn’t knowwhat to write, however, now I've hadtime to dwell and ponder on it, thereare so many things I want to say.

I am blessed with 2 children, Aisling 20who is studying at Maynooth Universityand Ryan 14 who is in 2nd year insecondary school. You’ve heard thesaying like chalk and cheese? My twochildren embody these words. She is thesocial butterfly whereas he loves hisown space. She is the talker while youhave to drag the news out of himself!She thrives in academia and motivates

herself to study hard, whereas he hasdyslexia and finds school work a chore.The differences of the two have taughtme a lot as a parent. I relish everymoment.

What would I say to any parent readingmy words today? I will say you aredoing an amazing job and to giveyourself a hearty pat on the back. Weas parents see the flaws all too easy.We as the Irish nation simply cannottake a compliment. What we don’t seeis how well we are doing. Our childrenlearn and grow but guess what....so dowe. This is the first time I am being theparent to a 14 and a 20 year old. I willlearn as much about being a goodparent this year as they will on theirjourney through life. We will take eachday as it comes and encourage eachother along.

Deeply engrained in my parenting is ourdyslexia. I say ‘our’ dyslexia, becausewhat happens to one in the family,happens to us all. All through myformative years I read. Reading was myguilty pleasure and still is. Having twochildren who are so vastly different intheir learning styles challenged me as amom. I felt guilty. I felt I wasn’t doingenough. I felt I didn’t understand whatRyan was going through. Then one dayI realised, that by me even thinkingthese things showed me I was alreadythere. I was already helping. I alreadyunderstood him. Now I just needed toget him help outside of the home. Iapproached his school and they put inplace the resources that would helphim. But more was needed. I knew ofother parents in my town, Kildare Town,who were having similar experiences.So we came together, approached thenational association and the Kildare TownBranch was born in 2011.

Our Dyslexia - from local to national

We opened our doors in January 2012to 12 eager children and haven’tlooked back since. I was the treasurer ofthe group ever since its inception andhave loved meeting and greetingparents. I have loved the bag packsand the church gate collections. I haveloved talking to parents in a similarposition to me. Parents who are feelingtheir way through being parents to adyslexic child. Parents who are full ofself-doubt and worry. We have been aband of brothers and sisters. Ourchildren attending the workshops andthe parents attending to each other’sfears. We shared our good news storiesand learned from the bad news stories.

Fast forward to 2017 where the KildareTown Branch amalgamated with thenational association. I see thisamalgamation as a win win. I firmlybelieve it is a win for the local branchesaround the country because now morethan ever we will all work towardsbecoming a professional, stream linedservice supporting children with dyslexianationwide. It is a definite win for thenational association here in Dublin, whowill be able to draw upon the bestpractices from around the country andget back to what I started on mymission for in the very first instance –

people helping people, parents helpingparents – working together to make areal impact.

It feels wonderful to be linked with thisamalgamation process. I started in myBFA role back in December, rolled mysleeves up and got stuck into it. With 25branches around the country, over 200teaching staff and almost 900 childrenattending the workshops, it has been ajoy these past 5 months and in honestythis hardly feels like ‘work’ at all. Everyday I get to speak to wonderful parents,where the story I hear time and timeagain is how much value and self-worththeir young person takes from attendingthe workshop. I get to deal with theteaching staff out there who work sohard to encourage and develop ouryoung people. I get to work with thenicest, friendliest, most hard workingbunch of people here in the nationaloffice and I treat my job as a badge ofhonour that I proudly display wherever Igo! As I look forward today I amexcited. Excited to see my childrengrow and develop. Excited to see thelocal branches around the countrygrow and develop. Excited to see, andbe a part of, the national association asit grows and develops.

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Career Paths Course for Adults with DyslexiaOur Career Paths Course is a unique full-time 9-month long course forunemployed adults with dyslexia. It is held in Leixlip in Co. Kildare, just 20 minutesfrom Dublin. The programme offers a QQI Level 3 Major Award in EmployabilitySkills, as well as intensive daily specialist tuition in literacy tailored to the needs ofadults with significant dyslexia. The course has above average success rates; over70% progress to further education and/or the workforce. All participants makesignificant improvements in their literacy skills over the 9 months. The course is runin conjunction with KWETB and SOLAS.

The next course will start in August 2017, so if you or anyone you know might beinterested, please contact Emma or Tracy now at 01 606 0009 or emailcareerpath@eircom.net as places are limited.

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Tips for Students Preparing for the Junior or LeavingCert Maths Exams By Joe McCormack At this stage you should have completed your mock examinations in Maths. Youmay or may not be happy with your result but I would ask you to try not to be toohard on yourself in relation to them as you still have plenty of time to improve.Please keep in mind that you have had little exposure to Exam Style questions,have not completed the full course and have not done that length of exampaper up to now. For those of you who may have Dyslexia, I would like you toview your exams as a challenge, not a threat. Thousands of students gone beforeyou have achieved their wildest dreams so aim high and keep believing inyourself. I would advise you to put a plan in place now so that you can studyefficiently and prepare properly for your exams. Here are my top twelve tips toace your Maths Exams in June – both in preparation along the way and facingthe paper on the day.

1. Do out a study timetable for your Easter holidays and beyond. Make sure thereis loads of variety, different subjects and plenty of breaks/rewards on it.

2. Buy a small notes book and enter all the keynotes, new information you learnand formulae’s that are not in your log tables into it. Divide the book into topicsso that you can quick reference it easy.

3. Make a note of all new words you learn in class each day. If you don’t fullyunderstand the meaning of them, ask your teacher or google them. Write downtheir meaning in your own words when you find out.

4. Practice as many past exams questions as you can to get used to the wording,layout, style and marking scheme of them.

5. “Homework is study”, so approach all Maths homework as you would an examhall question.

6. Practice questions at home. Time yourself on each question to get used toExam hall pressure. Stick to the timing for each question i.e. You have twenty fiveminutes to complete a fifty mark question (divide by two in Leaving CertificateMaths).

7. Get a “study buddy” that will do past exam questions for you and with you.You can meet up and share your Information with them. This can be useful in allsubjects.

8. On the day of the exam, read the wordy questions three or four times and thenread them line by line, underlining the key word(s) in each line.

9. Prepare for all exams the night before by checking you have all the materialsyou need for a particular exam. Double check your timetable for the next day.

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10. Don’t be afraid to express yourself in simple English if you don’t know whatMaths will help you arrive at the solution. The State Exams Commissionencourages creativity.

11. Buy yourself an Exam Paper Solutions Book. You can use this book to checkthe work you are doing and to help you get started on tricky Exam questions.One of the biggest issues with Project Maths is getting the Exam question started.

12. Start today.

Lastly the language of Maths is extremely important especially with the advent ofProject Maths in 2008. The State Exams Commission (SEC) have now placed moreof an emphasis on students knowing and understanding what things meaninstead of just been able to do numerical calculations. There are more wordsthan ever on our Junior and Leaving Cert Maths exam papers and it is crucialthat you start familiarising yourself with them. Overleaf you will find my list of thirty-two key words and phrases to get you started. These are the main ones thatappear on the papers but I would encourage you to read through all past exampapers since 2010, add to my list and investigate the meaning of them yourself.You will be learning through these investigations.

If you are not familiar with the words and phrases that appear on the paper, youmay not be even able to get a question started. This would be an awful shamegiven the amount of time you have spent learning the mathematical side ofthings. You need to be aware that different words have a different meaningdepending on the subject. For example, the word “Evaluate” in Maths is quitedifferent to what it means in English. I believe that knowing the key words andphrases is now a key component of “Ace-ing” a Junior or Leaving CertificateMaths exam paper.

Wishing you good luck students!

About the author: Joe McCormack.

Joe has fifteen years’ experience teaching Maths and is theAuthor of Project Maths Solution Books for both Junior andLeaving Certificate students. Check out his websitewww.projectmathsbooks.com for more information on hissolution books. Joe also posts a lot of useful links andresources on his Facebook page so feel free to link up withhim.

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..in the Domain - May appear in a graphing question… Draw your graph using values between these 2 values, e.g.: -1 > x > 4. In this case,use -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 for the x values on your graph.

Calculate - Use your Calculator to find the answer.

Construct - This indicates creating/drawing something using a set square,protractor or ruler. Draw it as accurately as you can. e.g. One of the Constructionson the course.

Correct to the nearest... - Round off your final answer into the units that arerequired in the question. e.g. as a Whole number or two decimal places.

Differentiate - Find f ’(x) or dy/dx for a given function.

Draw a graph - Use graph/grid paper to create an accurate labelled graph witha ruler.

Estimate - Make an approximate guess to the best of your ability without directlyusing your calculator.

Evaluate - Find the ‘value’ of a question using your calculator. This normallyrequires replacing (subbing in) a letter with a number, e.g. replace 3 wherever x iswhen you are told ‘x = 3’.

Express - This can mean two things: Put one number over another and find a % ORExpress 16 in the form of 2x. The answer is = 24

Factorise - Write down the factors of. Usually using brackets.

Find - Using the information and/or diagram given, Write down the answerrequired.

Graph - Draw a neat graph on grid/graph paper with a ruler.

Hence - This means: Use the last answer from the previous question. Copy downthe previous answer and continue.

Investigate - Check if something occurs or not. It may or may not be true.

List - Write down numbers/letters on a line separated by a comma.

Name - Write down the letters on a shape/angle in the order they appear on theshape/angle.

Plot - This refers to putting co-ordinates (x,y) on an argand diagram for the‘Complex Numbers’ topic or simply plotting points on axes.

Explanation of some Keywords and Phrases inMaths By Joe McCormack, www.projectmathsbooks.com

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Product - Multiply the terms in the question.

Prove - This word normally occurs when asked to prove a theorem in Geometry.The steps of ‘proof’ must be written down in a logical order. Similar to “Show”, itmust be True.

Represent - Can mean: Create or Fill in a Diagram as is required. e.g. A Venndiagram in sets

Rounding - This involves writing down the nearest figure to a specific number. Itmay involve decimal places. e.g.: Rounding off to 2 decimal places.

Shade - Highlight in with your pencil the region or area that is being asked for.

Show - Prove that something definitely does occur. If it doesn’t work out to betrue, you have made a mistake. Similar to ‘Prove’, it must be True.

Simplest form - Write down your answer and break it down as simple as possible.This may involve dividing in a number to make it smaller.

Simplify - Make easier by multiplying out the brackets or turning two fractions intoone.

Sketch - Make a rough drawing of a diagram, picture, image or graph on yourpage.

Solution Set - Write final answer in the format of a set after you get the solution toquestion.

Solve - This normally means: find ‘x’ or ‘y’ or both. In Algebra terms, it means ‘find the root (s)’.

Sum - Add up the terms in the question.

Use the graph to... - Read a value off your graph as is requested in the question. Aruler might be helpful here. Make sure and show workings on your graph.

Verify - Check your answer by substituting back a number into the originalequation/formula. It should always sub in perfectly.

Write down the domain... - 1. This is the first number in a list of couples in the order they are written, e.g.

if A=(2,3), (3,6), (7,8). In this case, the domain of A is 2,3,7 2. The Domain can also be the set of values you use to draw a graph…

0<x<6 means construct a graph using x values from 0 up to 6.

Advocacy Update

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Over recent months there has beenmuch on-going advocacy work onissues relevant to those with dyslexia.The following is just some of the areaswe have been working on:

• Disability Rights Protest. DAI wasdelighted to take part in this protestwhich took place on March 30th outsideLeinster House calling on thegovernment to ratify the UN Conventionon the Rights of People with Disabilities.Despite signing the declaration over 10years ago, the Irish government has yetto ratify this important Convention. Theprotest was led by the JoanneO’Riordan, a leading disabilityadvocate, and supported by over 100Irish disability organisations includingDAI.

• RACE (Reasonable Accommodationsin Certificate Examinations). DAIwelcomed the changes to RACE whichthe SEC brought in last autumn, as thesewill enable better equity of access toexam accommodations for students.We continue to engage regularly withthe SEC with feedback from ourmembers, and in relation to furtherissues to be addressed. We attendedan initial consultation meeting with theSEC on increasing the use of assistivetechnology in examinations andwelcome the SEC’s commitment tomake advances in this area.

• Changes to SEN (Special EducationalNeeds) provision. The new allocationmodel for distribution of SEN hours toschools will commence in September2017. In theory, the new model shouldimprove equity of access to supports asit provides whole school allocations ofSEN based on the school’s identifiedneeds under a variety of measuresincluding census data, school basedtesting. It also gives schools moreflexibility in how they use their SEN hourslocally, in how they distribute themamongst the pupils who need supportwithin the school. DAI will be closelymonitoring the impact of the new

model over the coming year.

• Irish exemption. We have hadongoing communications with the DESand NEPS in relation to the Irishexemption process. An internal review isunderway within the DES (Departmentof Education and Skills); we are stillwaiting to hear the report from thatgroup and seeking a subsequentmeeting in order to respond.

• We have been working with An GardaSíochana to support them in developinga dyslexia policy for their staff, and alsotrainees . Thanks to Donald Ewing andAmy Smyth for their ongoing work onthis project.

• Michelle Kinsella, our Developmentand Support Officer (Adult Services) hasbeen engaging with many individualsand agencies in relation to the needs ofadults with dyslexia; this has includedTrade Unions, Education and TrainingBoards (ETBs), Adult Education Centres,community education groups, andlibraries.

• DAI continues to promote bestpractice in relation to dyslexiaassessment. Donald Ewing, our Head ofEducational and Psychological Services,will be making a presentation on thisissue to the Psychological Society ofIreland later this month.

• Our CEO is now on the Board of theEDA, which works to raise awareness ofdyslexia and the needs of people withdyslexia at European level. Recently, wehave been in contact with MEPs seekingtheir support for a strong EU AccessibilityAct.

• We are also engaged in ongoingcollaboration work with colleagues inother related disability organisations toaddress areas of common interestincluding the Spectrum Alliance, theDisability Federation of Ireland and theWheel.

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Fundraising

VHI Women’s Mini-Marathon June 2017 Will you do the distance for dyslexia?On Bank Holiday Monday 5th June thousands of women from all over Ireland willtake part in the VHI Women’s Mini-Marathon inDublin. DAI is looking for volunteers to run, jog, or walkin aid of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland. Racedetails are available atwww.vhiwomensminimarathon.ie.

Sponsorship cards and t-shirts are available for DAIfundraisers; email info@dyslexia.ie or call 01 8776001for further information. All funds raised will be used by the Dyslexia Association ofIreland to provide valuable support services to children, young people and adultswith dyslexia, to help them achieve their full potential.

Keelings choose DAIas their current staffcharity

Sincere thanks are due to allthe staff and management ofKeelings who chose the DAIas their current staff charitylast October.

The Keelings charitycommittee have organised arange of events at KeelingsHQ in North Dublin, includinga cake sale, Christmas funevents, and Christmas cardsales.

The Keelings charitycommittee are also running afundraising golf classic in aidof DAI on May 19th inDonabate Golf Club.

Thanks to all in Keelings fortheir generous support of DAI.

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DAI Guidelines on Individual Tuition for Dyslexia

A good tutor can help someone withdyslexia to develop their skills and theirself-esteem. One-to-one sessions can betailored to each individual’s needs andpace of work. Sessions can be focussedon the specific areas where theindividual is currently struggling. Areaswhich may be covered includereading, spelling, writing, maths, studyskills, exam techniques, organisationand time management, or specificwork-related tasks for adults. Use ofappropriate assistive technology mayalso be included as part of a tuitionsession.

For parents, it’s important to considerwhether individual tuition is suited toyour child’s needs. While some childrendo very well with one-to-one tuition,others learn better in small groupclasses. Group tuition (e.g. DAI weeklyworkshops) also provides a valuablesocial element, and an opportunity tomeet other children and young peoplewith dyslexia.

Sourcing a TutorDAI maintains nationwide lists of self-employed dyslexia tutors. These arequalified teachers who have also donesome specialist training in dyslexia.Tutors on the list are required to becurrent members of DAI which helps tokeep them up-to-date with currentissues, and they can avail of DAI trainingseminars and conferences to furthertheir specialist knowledge.

It must be stressed that the DAI tutor listis based solely on the educationalqualifications of the teachers and is nota warranty in respect of any othermatter. The arrangement between tutorand student (and parent) is a privatematter and the Dyslexia Associationdoes not accept liability in relation tothis arrangement. In particular theAssociation is concerned that parentsshould be aware that the safety, well-being and happiness of their child

should be their first consideration in anyarrangements they may enter into witha teacher. DAI simply acts as a contactservice, and we have no financialarrangement with these tutors. Pleasenote that these teachers have not beensubject to Garda vetting by DAI as theyare self-employed. DAI endeavours tokeep the tutor list as up to date aspossible, with tutors required to inform usif they are no longer offering tuitionservices.

Local DAI tutor lists are available tocurrent DAI members. Please contactus at 01 8776001 or emailinfo@dyslexia.ie for further information.

You may also be able to source a tutorlocally, e.g. a recommendation fromyour school/college or from word ofmouth.

Issues to consider when engaging atutor

Cost:Tutors generally charge €30 to €35 perhour. As they are self-employed, eachtutor will have their own rates. Somemay offer reduced rates if you are onlow income. Do ask the tutor what theirpolicy is in relation to payment forcancelled or missed classes. If the tutoris coming to you they may ask for travelcosts (if the distance is great).

Length and Frequency:The length and frequency of sessionsshould be based on the age and needsof the individual child or young person.For older students and adults theirneeds may be intermittent, fluctuatingover the year depending on workloaddemands.

Tutor Qualifications:Tutors should be able to provide youwith details of their teachingqualifications and relevant workexperience. Most will also be able to

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provide evidence of their registrationwith the Teaching Council. You can alsoask for written and verbal referenceswhich should be available. While sometutors will have experience working withpeople of all ages, others will specialisewith specific age groups, i.e. primary,secondary, third level, and adults.Consider what type of tutorqualification/experience will best matchyour needs.

Tuition Plan: Be as specific as possible with the tutorin relation to the exact areas you needthe tuition to focus on at any point intime. Agree the frequency with whichyou will get feedback on progress.Parents may like to sit in on the tuitionsession to learn how they can reinforcethe work done on subsequent days athome.

JOB VACANCY – Cashel Branch CoordinatorThe Dyslexia Association of Ireland is planning to establish a new after schoolworkshop for children and young people with Dyslexia in Cashel from September2017. We are looking to recruit a Branch Coordinator to manage the running of theWorkshop.

The Branch Coordinator will be responsible for managing theeducational activity of the Workshop and will be responsiblefor the appointment and oversight of tutors and volunteers towork in the Workshop, in liaison with staff in the DAI NationalOffice and a local Parents’ Committee.

The Branch Coordinator is required to have a teachingqualification and be registered with the Teaching Council.They are also required to have undertaken additional trainingin teaching methods best suited to teach students withdyslexia.

To apply please email CV and covering letter stating why you feel you arequalified for this position to donaldewing@dyslexia.ie by 5pm on Monday 22nd May2017. Interviews will be held locally on the afternoon/evening of Wednesday 31st

May. See http://www.dyslexia.ie/events-news/news-items/ for more information.

EDA Autumn Seminars “Bridging the gap between research, policiesand practice for people with dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities”The European Dyslexia Association, in cooperation with Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, will hold it’s European Dyslexia Autumn Seminar in Munich,Germany from 6-8 October 2017. The conference will feature presentations on bestpractice, policy and knowledge regarding dyslexia and dyscalculia as well asopportunities for people to meet and network. The conference language will beEnglish. For further details and booking information check out the EDA website:www.eda-info.eu.

The keynotes speakers are Professor Karin Landerl, Senior Researcher Franck Ramusand Professor Gerd Schulte-Körne, three leading dyslexia researchers in Europe. TheCall for Papers is open until May 30th (see http://bit.ly/2pF80ZD for details) afterwhich the full conference programme will be finalised.

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My Journey with Dyslexia by Ed Kenny

My experience with dyslexia was challenging, when I was in school I had nosupport and was written off as stupid. I do remember the fear when it came toreading out loud in class as it was coming to my turn.

One story was I was reading out loud and the book was the Field, the sentenceread "The Bull McCabe has nine acres” - I read the sentence as "The Bull McCabehas a nice ass” to which everyone fell around laughing. I didn’t understand whyeveryone was laughing, then I looked down at the sentence and the wordjumped into their proper order. Outside school it was the same, friends would slagme because I couldn't spell or read properly.

With a failed Leaving Cert. I started an apprenticeship in carpentry joinery. Againmy dyslexia stopped me for doing basic maths. Foremen just thought I was stupid -that was just my on site experience. When I got to carpentry collage (FAS) theteachers were great and very supportive. I knew I could do this and it was aboutconfidence. I became determined to become qualified at carpentry. I wasn’tgoing to add to the list of stuff I fail at. I learned everything I could aboutcarpentry.

By the end of my apprenticeship I was on the top of my game. I memorised all themaths formulas for roofing (which was basic trigonometry) and could workeverything out with a calculator. I carried a science calculator everywhere. Otherpeople on site would laugh at me for taking it out, but I could tell the foremanhow many cubic meters of concrete he need, how to get all your angles forcutting a roof, how to get the right u value for insulating walls, all from acalculator, where most guys on site would struggle. At this stage I knew I could dothis. Other carpenters came to me for advice and help.

I left general build and started up my own bespoke carpentry business with thehelp of Enterprise Ireland. I learnt everything about bespoke furniture fromYouTube, but struggled during the recession as did everyone. I have 5 peopleworking for me now and business is so good I need a second crew on the road.

I think with dyslexia when I look back at it, when you are told from a child you’restupid you can’t do this or that, you tend to believe it when you’re an adult, butit’s about confidence. Don’t care if you make a mistake.

Thanks to Ed for sharing his personal experience. He found what he was good at,worked hard at it, and has developed a very successful business:

http://edwardkenny100.wixsite.com/custom-carpentry-ed

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DAI Courses and Seminars

Each year DAI runs a wide range ofcourses, seminars and events both inDublin and around the country(regionally, on rotation). Coursesinclude:

• Primary Teachers’ Course• Second Level Teachers’ Course• Parents’ Course• Student Seminar• Seminar on Assistive Technology

(tablets/iPads)• Adult Information Seminars• Assessment of Needs Course for the

FET sector• Supporting Learners with Dyslexia in

the FET sector

For details on upcoming courses andseminars please see the Events page onour website (www.dyslexia.ie) or follow

us on Facebook and Twitter where allour events are advertised (once datesand venues have been confirmed).

DAI also delivers many bespokeinformation seminars, subject toavailability. This could be a dyslexiaawareness session for anorganisation/workplace, a talk for aparents’ group, a seminar for adultliteracy tutors. Some of these are donein conjunction with our own Branches, orwith other community agencies, e.g.libraries, schools, parents associations,local development companies. All talkscan be tailored to the needs of eachgroup. Please call 01 877 6001 or emailAmy Smyth, our Information andAdvocacy Coordinator atamysmyth@dyslexia.ie to discuss further.

Just Look and Cook Cookbook“They say a picture paints a thousand words, and this is certainly the case for the JustLook and Cook Cookbook” - Neven Maguire, Book foreword

Are you one of those people who hate reading instructions while completing a task?Do you prefer to see pictures rather than read about something?Do you work with people with literacy difficulties orintellectual disabilities?• Text-free Cookery Book• EVERY step shown through Photographs• No Weighing Scales - Use Cups & Spoons Instead • Basic Utensils & Ingredients • Grab ‘n Go Shopping Lists

Just Look and Cook is a cook-book with a real difference.This text free cookbook contains simple, economical and nutritious recipes that arepresented to the user through a series of photographs. Each recipe includes adetachable shopping list & uses everyday ingredients & basic kitchen equipment,allowing the user to cook a variety of delicious dishes. Designed with a broad rangeof people in mind, this hard backed 88 page book will be useful to beginner cookseverywhere. It also provides an excellent way to develop independent living skills.Recipes include Chicken Curry, Pancakes, Homemade Vegetable Soup, and WhiteSoda Bread among others - all simply prepared and quick to cook.

This book was written by Eileen Kirrane from Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo. Eileen worked asa special needs assistant for a number of years. She loves cooking and computersand has a firm belief that everyone can cook. Eileen now also runs cookery classesusing Just Look and Cook as her only resource.

The book costs €20 and is available on line at www.justlookandcook.ie.

For further information about dyslexia andthe work of the Dyslexia Association ofIreland, please contact:

DAI, 5th Floor, Block B, Joyce’s Court, Talbot Street, Dublin 1, D01C861.Tel. 01 877 6001Email: info@dyslexia.ieWebsite: www.dyslexia.ie

Registered Charity No: 20025335CHY No.: 10044Company No: 185795

With early identification and supports Irish children with dyslexiacan succeed with reading

Text READ to 50300 to donate €4The Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) will receive a

minimum of €3.25. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY Helpline: 0766805278.All funds raised will be used to support children and adults with dyslexia.