Mr. Donald Ewing:

I will answer the question on technology, but I would also suggest that we have an issue with not training our teachers about dyslexia properly. It is not just about access to improved public awareness; it is about improved teacher awareness. Some 106 teachers joined us on our online webinar last night, made up of fully qualified and trained teachers. Our survey from last year found that 93% of qualified teachers did not feel competent to teach children with dyslexia upon qualification. We, therefore, have an issue there.

We also have an issue with technology, because its use should be commonplace. We are not talking about additional hardware or software anymore. We are talking about using devices like tablets and laptops in a way that helps children with dyslexia, such as turning on text-speech software whereby text is read out loud, or speech-text software whereby a young person speaks into a device and text is provided. That is a quick and efficient way to create a first draft.

It is important to point out that children with dyslexia do not have thinking problems or intellectual difficulties. If we can bypass the mechanical difficulty of reading and writing, children with dyslexia can thrive in that environment. All they are looking for is permission to use technology, which we all use on a regular basis, in classrooms as well as exam halls. Why would we take that technology away from them on the most important days of their educational careers?