Theorising dyslexic student discussion/action groups in UK higher education: research in practice

Abstract

This research in practice analyses the experience of operating discussion/action groups with dyslexic students in higher education in three British universities which reflects a shift from the practice of developing ‘support groups’ to a more developmental, proactive stance. It does so in the current UK legislative context which requires higher education institutions to involve disabled students in creating practices which promote equality. The students in these particular groups learned more about their own dyslexia and about dyslexia in general. They also learned about processes of institutional change and devised actual changes in systems and practices. They provided new descriptions about dyslexia in higher education which could be used within staff development processes. The significance of these developments can be recognised with the help of current theories about learning as a situated social activity, about academic literacies as social practice and about social models of disability.