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Best practice, toolkits and resources

Stonewall have spent more than 30 years working towards a world where all children and young people have access to an LGBTQ+ inclusive education.

Stonewall's dedicated team of education professionals work hard to bring you the resources and guidance you need regardless of whether you're just getting started with your LGBTQ+ inclusive work or whether you're looking to further embed and develop your practice. Whether you're looking for best practice guidance and policy templates, posters or lesson packs written by a qualified teacher, there's something here for you.

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Learning with Stonewall

Stonewall have spent more than 30 years working towards a world where all children and young people have access to an LGBTQ+ inclusive education.

Stonewall's dedicated team of education professionals work hard to bring you the resources and guidance you need regardless of whether you're just getting started with your LGBTQ+ inclusive work or whether you're looking to further embed and develop your practice. Whether you're looking for best practice guidance and policy templates, posters or lesson packs written by a qualified teacher, there's something here for you.

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Stonewall have spent more than 30 years working towards a world where all children and young people have access to an LGBTQ+ inclusive education. Stonewall's dedicated team of education professionals work hard to bring you the resources and guidance you need regardless of whether you're...

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https://www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning/inclusive-teaching-toolkit

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UUK Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Guide

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UUK Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Guide

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https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/student-mental-wellbeing-in-higher-education.aspx

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Media Guidelines For Non-Binary Identities

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Media Guidelines For Non-Binary Identities

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What and Why | Do's and Don'ts | Terms and Definitions | Pronouns | Common Pitfalls To Avoid | Resources | Positive Coverage Examples

Media Guidelines For Non-Binary Identities: Why

Coverage of LGBTQ issues often stems as a response to the violence or discrimination that is frequently experienced by LGBTQ people in the press, in their schools, their jobs, their own community, and even at home.

Though well-intentioned, there are ways in which your writing may propagate the hurt. It's important to be aware of the nuances regarding gender identities; there is a fine line between an educational story and a sensationalizing exposé.

As a journalist, you are responsible for shaping the public's perception and opinion. Adhering to these guidelines will promote integrity and communicate supportiveness to the LGBTQ community and the public at large.

Do's and Don'ts

Do

ask for name and pronoun

use name and pronoun throughout article (you may clarify that this is the person's chosen name or pronoun)

ask for gender identity label, and their personal definition of it

define terms that might be unfamiliar to your audience

emphasize diversity in race, age, class, origin

lots of research on transgender communities

use the resources listed below

think outside the box

Don't

assume a person's gender

use multiple names or pronouns for the same person, unless explicitly told so

use previous name or pronoun, even when referring to someone pre-transition

use quotation marks around chosen name or pronoun

conflate gender identity with sexuality, presentation, expression

assume a non-binary identity based on androgynous appearance

emphasize a gender non-conforming childhood as "proof" of current gender identity

emphasize medical transition above other aspects of transition or identity

reveal a person's birth assigned sex, birth name, past/present genital configuration, or use "before and after" pictures, without obtaining explicit permission
Note: omitting this information is preferred, unless specifically relevant to the topic being discussed. Bringing attention to someone's assigned sex places undue focus on their body, trivializes their current gender identity, and only serves to sensationalize.

use inaccurate, disrespectful, or deprecated language:

don't say "used to be a man / is biologically male," instead say "was assigned male at birth"

don't say "had a/the sex-change/sex-reassignment surgery," instead say "had [gender confirmation] surgery"

don't say "has a confusing gender presentation," instead try "an ambiguous gender presentation"

don't say "son/daughter, brother/sister, mom/dad," instead say "child, sibling, parent" (unless otherwise specified)

Terms and Definitions

Sex
Biological characteristics at birth; usually designated a sex of male or female depending on their apparent genitals. Separate from gender.

Intersex
Biological variation of sexual characteristics (chromosomes, genitals, reproductive organs, and/or hormonal composition) falling outside of strictly dimorphic model of male or female.

Sex Assigned/Designated at Birth (MAAB/DMAB, FAAB/DFAB)
The sex a person is assigned at birth, and consequently the gender they are assumed to be based on their birth sex.

Gender Binary
The idea that there are only two distinct sexes and/or genders: male and female.

Gender Identity
Internal sense of self, most commonly of being a man or a woman, masculine or feminine, although gender also exists in any combination of maleness, femaleness, both, neither, or something else entirely.

Gender Expression
Outward display or presentation of gender; may include appearance, behavior, name, pronouns, etc.

Cisgender
A person whose internal gender identity matches their physical sex and their gender assigned at birth.

Transgender
A person whose gender identity does not align with their assigned gender at birth.

Trans
Abbreviation of transgender. Shorthand to refers to the diverse gender identities that fall under the transgender umbrella, not only trans men and trans women.

Trans man
Someone who was female assigned at birth and currently identifies as a man.

Trans woman
Someone who was assigned male at birth and currently identifies as a woman.

Transition
The social, physical, legal, and emotional processes of aligning one's self with their gender identity.

Non-Binary Gender
Any gender that is not strictly male or female.

Genderqueer
An identity that encompasses any gender that is not strictly male or female.

Sexuality / Sexual Orientation
Sexual Orientation refers to sexual, romantic, and/or emotional attraction towards others. It is completely independent of gender identity.

Common labels (straight, gay, lesbian) point to a person's own gender as much as the gender of who they're attracted to. Thus, people with a non-binary gender may find it difficult to describe their sexual orientation using these labels.

A Note on Definitions

Specific labels, along with their respective definitions, are continuously evolving. Most terms are subject to individual interpretation. It is best to ask a person what their preferred label means to them, and how it represents their gender identity.

Genderqueer vs. Non-Binary

Generally, these two terms may be used interchangeably.

The differences between them are subtle. Non-binary is an umbrella term for any gender identity that is not strictly male or female. Genderqueer can be thought of as a broader umbrella, encompassing non-binary genders, as well as queer or non-normative expressions of gender, and may carry the politicized connotation of queering gender.

Genderqueer or Non-Binary may be used as a stand-alone identity.

Often, a person will identify as a particular gender falling within this umbrella, such as: agender, neutrois, androgyne, bi-gender, demigirl/demiboy, butch, gender-fluid, pangender, among others.

It is best to use non-binary or genderqueer when talking about the community as a whole, or referring to the concept of a gender that is not male or female.

Pronouns

English pronouns "he" and "she" imply a gender of male or female. Therefore, it is incorrect to refer to someone whose gender is not male or female with these pronouns.

Because no gender-neutral standard exists yet, people with a non-binary gender often choose a different pronoun to refer to themselves.

You should always ask for a person's pronoun, and use it throughout the article, without quotation marks, just as you would use he or she. When unable to obtain someone's preferred pronoun, it is advised to use the neutral singular they much like you would when referring to someone of indeterminate gender, or avoid pronouns altogether by using the person's name.

Common Pitfalls To Avoid

Conflation of Terms

Using a specific gender identity label as catch-all for people who sidestep gender lines; common ones are gender-fluid or agender. These are specific identities within the non-binary umbrella.

Genderqueer as Not Transgender

Lumping people who have alternative gender presentations into a genderqueer category, and/or specifying genderqueer as not transgender. Whether one is transgender or not is a matter of self-identity.

Transgender as Genderqueer, or Transcending Gender

Transgender people may be forcing us to redefine how society thinks about the gender binary, but most trans men and trans women do not consider themselves genderqueer.

Superficiality and Stereotypes

Placing undue focus on appearances, especially gendered aspects, perpetuates stereotypes. Similarly, focusing solely on the physical or surgeries reduces a holistic gender identity to body parts.

There are many equally engaging issues that transcend "looks" important to the community: access to healthcare, discrimination, violence, acceptance, affordable transition, legal conundrums, upending the framework of gender as we know it.

Invisibility

Defining transgender as feeling the "opposite" gender is not only inaccurate, but leaves no room for non-binary identities. Even inclusive and respectful coverage often fails to acknowledge that some people are not trans men or trans women, erasing non-binary gender all together.

For an in-depth look, read What the Ruby Rose Obsession Misses About Gender Fluid Lives, The Advocate

Resources

Journalism

Transgender and Non-Binary Basics

Examples of Positive Non-Binary Coverage

© 2015 neutrois.me

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Media Guidelines for Non-Binary Identities

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Print the one-pager What and Why | Do's and Don'ts | Terms and Definitions | Pronouns | Common Pitfalls To Avoid | Resources | Positive Coverage Examples Media Guidelines For Non-Binary Identities: Why Coverage of LGBTQ issues often stems as a response to the violence or discrimination that is frequently experienced by LGBTQ people in the press,...

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https://www.newcastle.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/305968/UN001_Teaching_Inclusively_Resource_Pack_Online.pdf

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https://genderpedagogy.wordpress.com/

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https://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/trans-staff-and-students-in-he-and-colleges-improving-experiences/

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A global student movement campaigning for the decolonisation of higher education has, over recent years, spread from the USA to South Africa and the UK. The demand is that universities acknowledge and take steps to ameliorate the ' structural and epistemological legacy' of colonialism. In practice, this has meant arguing for the removal of statues and plaques commemorating institutional sponsors from a bygone era who rose to fame and fortune through the brutal exploitation of 'the colonies'. The Rhodes Must Fall campaign has called for statues of the imperialist Cecil Rhodes to be torn down from the University of Oxford in the UK and the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Individual universities in the UK, such as SOAS and Sussex, have their own decolonise campaigns, and in the USA there have been campaigns to have buildings and institutions founded from the financial legacy of the slave trade renamed.

But the decolonisation initiative has moved beyond the surface features of the university, to explore the very nature of knowledge propagated through higher education. The content of the curriculum, campaigners argue, continues to reflect and perpetuate a colonial legacy, through the presentation of a white, western intellectual tradition as not just superior to other forms of knowledge but as universal. Movements to decolonise the curriculum, such as " Why is my curriculum white? " which began at University College London, draw attention to the prevalence of white males especially on humanities programmes such as philosophy. The privileging of Kant, Plato and Descartes, they suggest, normalises a Euro-centric and Enlightenment-focused view of the world.

The current student movement to decolonise higher education presents colonialism not as an episode from history, but as a real impingement upon the present. Ntokozo Qwabe, co-founder of Rhodes Must Fall at Oxford, argues this point clearly: "A lot of the time when people talk about colonialism they think of it as a past event that happened. They don't think about it as something that manifests itself in everyday life at institutions like Oxford." In bringing colonialism out of the past and into the present, the decolonise campaigns appear to pitch politically radical students against irredeemably racist institutions full of pale, male and stale academics.

In practice, students campaigning for curricular change often find they are pushing at an open door. Universities, always keen for opportunities to demonstrate they listen to and act upon the student voice, are grateful for opportunities to work with engaged students. Students are offered seats at departmental committee meetings to ratify new modules and their views on curricular matters are solicited at every turn. So keen are universities to demonstrate high levels of student satisfaction that demands are sometimes pre-empted. At Queen Mary University in London, a plaque to the Belgian King Leopold, responsible for the massacre of millions in the Congo, was removed last year despite the fact that members of the student council had not voted for its removal.

When it comes to the curriculum, academics are again often ahead of the game in championing decolonisation. The pervasive influence of Critical Theory within humanities departments means that the days of expecting students to uncritically imbibe great books or enculturating a new generation into a monolithic western canon are long gone. Rather than desperately clinging on to the last vestiges of a traditional curriculum, many academics are all too ready to jettison the old. In a climate of postmodern relativism when works of literature and philosophy are simply 'texts', the specific curricular content no longer matters that much. In this regard, rather than posing a challenge to institutions, the decolonise the curriculum movement is simply confirming mainstream academic thought.

Academics who have not voluntarily diversified their reading lists and updated course content to make it more inclusive will find themselves under pressure to ' internationalise the curriculum '. Although the vocabulary might be slightly different, the intention is the same: to decentralise the western intellectual tradition and the canonical works that comprised yesteryear's higher education, in favour of teaching content that can be shown to represent biological, rather than intellectual, diversity. At its most cynical, this is a marketing technique, designed to attract revenue-generating international customers to British institutions.

Beyond cynicism, the international curriculum represents academics' embarrassment at attempts to preserve and pass on intellectual traditions, that, though they may have emanated in the west, were one time considered to be of universal value. It represents a loss of faith in the ability of academics to judge some knowledge as superior, more important for students to know, than other knowledge. Rather than promoting cultural capital, many academics now prefer to inculcate skills. Geography, for example, is less about getting students to know and contribute towards geographical knowledge of the world, so much as it is about helping students "to develop a set of values and skills to operate in diverse cultural environments". Geography, as a subject, is considered particularly well placed to do this because it has " a long history of introducing the destructive impact of colonialism to students, not just through an understanding of the 'colonial present' for example in the Middle East but also in looking at how the domination of the natural world can also be understood as a form of colonialism."

Of course, there are many good reasons why universities and academics should keep the higher education curriculum under review. Knowledge should not be set in aspic but considered in new contexts. New research may lead to a re-evaluation of material that had previously taken a central place within the curriculum. The process of contesting what is important for students to know at any point in time is one of the most fruitful debates to be had, and it helps avoid the complacency that comes with teaching material simply because it has always been taught. Such discussions remind us what higher education is for and bring the role and responsibilities of academics in relation to a new generation of scholars to the fore. The curriculum, should, in short, be a changing and changeable entity. However, I would argue that the decolonise the curriculum movement, in all its guises, asks the wrong questions and results in changes that are entirely regressive.

Decolonise the curriculum promotes a relativism about knowledge that presents the works of different thinkers or different schools of thought as all being of equal worth. Decolonise SOAS is explicit in its demand that the university should "grant the same credence to metaphysical and transcendental systems of knowledge from the Global South as it does to systems of knowledge that have emerged from Western Europe." This is a demand that judgements about the worth of knowledge move away from what are considered to be myths of 'universal truth'. But the problem with this is that knowledge is not 'different but equal' and discussions about curricular content are precisely about differentiating superior knowledge - that which is worth preserving and passing on to a new generation - from inferior knowledge which is not.

The closer knowledge is to truth and the more it is considered to be universally relevant, the more worthy it should be of a place in the curriculum. To argue that 'universal truth' is a myth and that truth is context-dependent is to give up on the goals of education entirely - we have simply nothing to learn from previous generations or from each other. We can only indulge in the narcissistic enterprise of exploring our individual truths within our personal context.

In fact, the apparent relativism that appears to underpin the decolonise movement is disingenuous. All knowledge is not considered equal. Truth, when no longer universal, is perspectival. And in today's university, some perspectives are more worth hearing than others. Decolonise the curriculum asks us to make decisions about knowledge based on biology rather than on intellectual merit. Instead of looking at what Hegel or WEB Du Bois, Audre Lorde or Sylvia Plath, have to offer in terms of their contribution to knowledge, we are asked to make crude judgements based on sex and skin colour with white and male being bad, black and female being better.

Once, Martin Luther King dreamt of a day that people would be judged by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skins and the Roman playwright Terence argued that nothing that was human was alien to him. Today, however, it seems that everything not uttered by someone of the same skin colour and preferably gender as me is entirely alien. The decolonise the curriculum movement re-racialises knowledge - and ultimately the university - in a most regressive way. Yet the trump card of biology silences criticism. I am quite convinced that the arguments I am putting forward in this piece will be viewed as symptomatic only of my white privilege!

The re-racialising of the university and knowledge assumed by the decolonise movement extends into its view of students. Black students are presented as a homogenous group, all equally traumatised by the historical legacy of colonialism. In reality, the black Oxford student who has been privately educated and is from a wealthy family background probably shares few experiences in common with the black student who has grown up on a council estate and currently attends a lower ranking university while simultaneously holding down a part-time job. The presentation of all black students as victims of the past masks real inequalities in the present.

Furthermore, promoting the view that walking past a statue on the way to class inflicts real psychic harm suggests black students are uniquely vulnerable and lacking in resilience. This assumption carries over into another argument driving the move to decolonise the curriculum: the racist and patronising view that black students can only learn if they see themselves, in a most basic, biological form, represented in the curriculum. This is to suggest that black students can only learn 'black knowledge' or, in other words, that black students can't learn Kant or Shakespeare.

There are many good reasons to review and change what goes on in universities. The decolonise higher education movement is not among them. It represents a backward view of knowledge; it entrenches racial thinking, and it presents a degraded view of black students. It prompts a censoriousness driven by the demand that statues and curricular content be removed to white-wash the past in favour of a re-racialised present.

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The 'decolonise the curriculum' movement re-racialises knowledge

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A global student movement campaigning for the decolonisation of higher education has, over recent years, spread from the USA to South Africa and the UK. The demand is that universities acknowledge and take steps to ameliorate the ' structural and epistemological legacy' of colonialism.

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The demand for "decolonised education" may jeopardise research and learning in South Africa. Nic Bothma/EPA

University students in very different countries - South Africa, England and the US - argue that it's time to decolonise higher education. What does this mean? What would acquiescing to the students' push mean for research, science and academic collaboration?

First it's necessary to understand those two words: "decolonisation" and "education". The Cambridge dictionary calls decolonisation "the process in which a country that was previously a colony controlled by another country becomes politically independent".

"Education", meanwhile, is what the Oxford dictionary calls "the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university".

Placed together, then, the decolonisation of education means that a nation must become independent with regards to the acquisition of knowledge skills, values, beliefs and habits. This makes a lot of sense. It's surely what any nation should be doing. But I would argue that the term is being badly misinterpreted among South African students. As one student at the University of Cape Town has explained it:

For decolonised education to be introduced, the existing system must be overthrown and the people it's supposed to serve must define it for themselves.

This is not an isolated view espoused by an individual.

These are very dangerous ideas. What's really important is that South African teachers, lecturers and professors must develop curricula that build on the best knowledge skills, values, beliefs and habits from around the world. These cannot be limited to one country nor one continent - be it Africa or Europe.

And while it may surprise many calling for "decolonised education", South Africa's universities are not ivory towers: they are hotbeds of research solutions for the nation, drawing on local and global theories, thinkers and science. Much of this work could be undone if students push their thinking about "decolonised education" into practice.

Good science transcends geography

Most of the research done at South Africa's universities and by its research councils focus on South African and African questions. The National Research Foundation (NRF) which funds most of the active university researchers in the country has as its object of foundation:

...to support and promote research through funding, human resource development and the provision of the necessary research facilities in order to facilitate the creation of knowledge, innovation and development in all fields of science and technology, including indigenous knowledge and thereby to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of all the people of the Republic.

The first six centres of excellence funded by the country's Department of Science and Technology focused on tuberculosis, biodiversity, invasion biology, tree health, catalysis and strong material. These are all important areas of research for South Africa. Likewise, the Square Kilometre Array is a project which, while funded nationally and internationally, will result in the training of a generation of new knowledge workers - young scientists and engineers. Many of these will be South African and benefit the local economy hugely.

Most of the successful researchers in South Africa I know are dependent on research funding from a local industry. This research helps South African industries to solve problems and is an essential part of their success. These industries employ the citizens of South Africa.

My own research programme is a good example. I collaborate nationally and internationally. I use cutting edge technology and the most recent knowledge from top science journals to study organisms which are of local relevance. I sequenced the first fungal genome in Africa by Africans. I could have done this by outsourcing to technology platforms off the continent, but I didn't.

As a consequence the University of Pretoria, where I hold a South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) position has an internationally competitive research programme on genomics. Our focus is on locally important organisms, but we use the best techniques and methods developed internationally to achieve our research goals. The field is a fast moving one and there are new developments published everyday. We need to keep up with what's happening internationally but also be publishing our own research in the international arena.

Our work in the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute isn't unique. Thousands of researchers around South Africa are using a combination of local skills, local knowledge, global knowledge and technology from different worlds, whether in Africa or elsewhere. It's only by " standing on the shoulders of giants " that, as 12th century theologian John of Salisbury put it, "We can see more and farther than our predecessors, not because we have keener vision or greater height, but because we are lifted up and borne aloft on their gigantic stature".

Balance is crucial

The risk of adopting student protesters' stance on "decolonising education" is that South Africa rejects all the advances of modern medicine, education and science that originated elsewhere in the world.

This would, for example, mean rejecting the use of penicillin, the yellow fever vaccination and HIV ART drugs. None of these were developed in Africa.

If we isolate ourselves, knowledge wise, South Africa's own amazing advances would be lost to the rest of the world. Other countries are happy to benefit from our discoveries. We should continue to benefit from their discoveries, too.

I'm not suggesting that South African students shouldn't learn about their own country, continent and the remarkable work that's being done by African researchers for African nations. But they should also be learning about advances and theories developed in the rest of the world.

This is already happening in places: Life Science departments at the University of Pretoria, for instance, boasts a curriculum that performs this epistemological balancing act. Students use the best textbooks available. The information in these books is then supplemented with local knowledge and context. Students are taught about DNA and heredity, which is international, but then they learn about the biodiversity of African plants, birds and mammals.

They learn about the organisms that are models internationally for the study of genetics - Yeast, Drosophila, Neurospora and Arabidopsis; they also learn about the research that's being done at the university and elsewhere in South Africa to solve local problems.

The challenge for tertiary educations in South Africa is to ensure that the curriculum presented is based on international best practice. We cannot limit the knowledge base of South Africa's next generations to only regional knowledge and culture. This would be tantamount to "throwing the baby out with the bathwater". We must however, be locally relevant and celebrate the research and researchers in South Africa.

My hope for South Africa is that in some cases we will lead internationally that "best practice"; in some cases we already do.

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What "decolonised education" should and shouldn't mean

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University students in very different countries - South Africa, England and the US - argue that it's time to decolonise higher education. What does this mean? What would acquiescing to the students' push mean for research, science and academic collaboration? First it's necessary to understand those two words: "decolonisation" and "education".

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Yes, we must decolonise: our teaching has to go beyond elite white men | Priyamvada Gopal

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There's no need for outrage over changes to our English curriculum, writes Cambridge academic Priyamvada Gopal

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Inclusive Teaching in Higher Education: Abdul's Story

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Decolonisation of higher education : dismantling epistemic violence and Eurocentrism in South Africa

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Decolonisation of higher education : dismantling epistemic violence and Eurocentrism in South Africa

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https://journals.co.za/content/journal/10520/EJC-57acdfafc

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https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/0142159X.2014.947938

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Towards a more equal, inclusive higher education - University World News

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Patrick Blessinger is an adjunct associate professor of education at St John's University, New York City, USA, and chief research scientist for the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association. Jaimie Hoffman is an adjunct professor at University of Wisconsin La Crosse and higher education scholar in California, USA.

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https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/teaching-and-learning/inclusivity

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Decolonisation is not a metaphor - Tuck and Yang

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Decolonisation is not a metaphor - Tuck and Yang

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https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/18630

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https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/your-university/teaching-and-learning/inclusivity/case-studies-of-good-practice

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Synthesis of Research on Inclusive Teaching

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Synthesis of Research on Inclusive Teaching

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https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/inclusive_teaching_and_learning_in_he_synthesis_200410_0.pdf

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https://www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/inclusive-environment/case-studies/

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https://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/unconscious-bias-in-higher-education/

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BBC Radio 4 Moral Maze 'Decolonising the Curriculum'

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BBC Radio 4 Moral Maze 'Decolonising the Curriculum'

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002h1j

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TLRP’s ten principles for effective pedagogy: rationale, development, evidence, argument and impact

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TLRP’s ten principles for effective pedagogy: rationale, development, evidence, argument and impact

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https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02671522.2011.590007

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Going to university can be a test for anyone, fresh, or not-so-fresh from school. Students are not only expected to adapt to independent study and increased reading loads, but they also have to learn as soon as possible how to "do" the kind of academic writing and academic talk their given field demands. And for those students with dyslexia, this can be particularly challenging.

Dyslexic students are normally no different to their non-dyslexic peers in their understanding of their academic subject, but dyslexia can make things like reading course books, writing essays and remembering lecture points harder to do. And there can also be difficulties for dyslexic students in getting their words and ideas across in seminars and tutorials.

These things are hard partly because of specific cognitive difficulties with processing particular kinds of information, and partly because of the way schools and universities tend to structure and assess learning - through non-interactive lectures and timed, written examination. And because there is a lot of disagreement about what dyslexia actually means in terms of cognitive function, it can also be difficult to agree on what to do about it, in practice.

Grade driven learning

In today's society being academically literate is particularly valued - with the most successful learner often seen as the one who gets the highest grades. High grades are often thought to go hand-in-hard with hard work, meaning lower grades are often thought to imply a lack of effort and a lack of academic ability - the twin-evils of "laziness" and "stupidity".

But part of the challenge for dyslexia and learning isn't so much that dyslexic people can't keep up with complex ideas, it's more that they may need to approach tasks in a different way to get the learning to make sense, and to "stick". So when a student with dyslexia finds their learning preferences don't fit so well with the learning environments on offer, they will often use additional study aids - such as speech-to-text software, mind-mapping applications and " read and write text help " - in addition to attending regular tutorials with a specialist teacher to work on their academic literacy.

Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock

But sometimes dyslexic students (and their peers) feel that using additional study help gives them an an unfair leg-up. This means that although dyslexic students have a right under the law to make use of things - like extra time in exams and specialist tuition - doing so can be a threat to their sense of self-worth and academic identity.

In other words, they can feel like they are not really "intelligent" if they can't do the work without making use of adjustments. This can lead dyslexic students to play down their difficulties, and to refuse help. And students with dyslexia will sometimes try to go it alone, so to speak, to work hard and " just deal with it " - even though they will be disadvantaged by this approach. This can leave dyslexic students in a lose-lose situation.

Peer support?

Working out when to access support at university is further complicated by the uncertainty of how the students and staff they come across will react to a disclosure of dyslexia. Media representations of dyslexia have tended to be rather sensationalist, and often follow the " dyslexia as a myth " line without care for the details of the studies which they refer to.

Attitudes towards dyslexia among academic staff can also vary, and peers can react in unexpected ways - saying things like "that's ridiculous, why do you get a printer just because you're dyslexic?".

Dyslexic students have to be ever-ready to explain what dyslexia means and how it affects them to whomever needs to know. They may need to declare it to their personal tutor one day, to an exams invigilator another, and to their housemate the next. And in each case they need to guess how their declaration will be received - which can be exhausting.

A dyslexic student may also find themselves stuck between contradictory ideas about who they are as a dyslexic person, and what they should be doing about it. And in this sense they internalise the apparent "common-sense view" that they are solely responsible for the difficulties they experience.

Rethinking dyslexia

So, to dyslexic students who have just begun their university education, it is time for you to rethink the concept of disability - because it is not a dirty word. The disabling aspects of dyslexia are not inside you, but rather they are part of a particular educational set-up and learning environment.

Syda Productions/Shutterstock

To tackle this, work out which situations at university put you at a disadvantage compared to other students, and make use of any adjustments you need to help you. It's not an unfair leg-up, it's simply a small step towards evening the playing field.

You should also make use of specialist dyslexia tutors, because they not only there to help you develop academic skills and confidence, but more importantly they can also help you critically reflect upon what dyslexia means for you and your learning.

And finally, remember you are not to blame for some of the difficulties you may experience in university learning, so be kind to yourself. These difficulties are nothing to do with how worthy you are, or how "clever" you are - and you belong at university just as much as anyone else does.

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Here's what you need to know about starting university with dyslexia

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Going to university can be a test for anyone, fresh, or not-so-fresh from school. Students are not only expected to adapt to independent study and increased reading loads, but they also have to learn as soon as possible how to "do" the kind of academic writing and academic talk their given field demands.

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HEA Subject Specific Guides to Embedding Equality and Diversity in the Curriculum

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HEA Subject Specific Guides to Embedding Equality and Diversity in the Curriculum

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Embedding Equality and Diversity in the Curriculum discipline-specific guides | Higher Education Academy

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The Higher Education Academy's Embedding Equality and Diversity in the Curriculum (EEDC) discipline-specific practitioner guides aim to support academics in creating learning and teaching experiences and environments that enable all students to reach their potential, to feel included in their learning journeys and to become diversity competent.

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HEA tudent Retention and Success - What Works?

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HEA tudent Retention and Success - What Works?

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What Works?Student retention and success change programme | Higher Education Academy

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The What works? programme showed that effective interventions have an academic purpose relevant to all students and are delivered in the mainstream, facilitating collaboration between students and staff. Interventions are most successful when ongoing, and part of a programme of measures featuring the monitoring and follow-up of engagement by individual students.

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https://vimeo.com/channels/154658

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https://www.blackillustrations.com/

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https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/learning-time-covid-19

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https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/07/when-the-covid-19-crisis-finally-ends-uk-schools-must-never-return-to-normal

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https://blogs.chapman.edu/diversity/2020/03/26/equity-resources-covid-19/

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https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

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http://worldblindunion.org/English/resources/Pages/default.aspx

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https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/accessability/staff/supporting-students-with-disabilities/information-for-staff-working-with-deaf-or-hearing-impaired-students

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Reading tool for neurodiverse people. Can be used to produce handouts.

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Useful for normalising saying colleagues and students names and ensuring correct pronunciation.

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Namecoach - Your Solution to Perfect Name Pronunciation!

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Our innovative name pronunciation generator, powered by AI technology, seamlessly integrates into your favorite platforms.

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The limits of inclusivity - Islamaphobia

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The limits of inclusivity - Islamaphobia

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Before using the built in accessibility checkers found in many of the tools you use, we recommend using our Accessibility Checklist first. Then use the tools available to you in the programs listed below to pick-up small errors.

They work best with documents and resources which are already using accessible design features. They will not necessarily pick up on everything. Think of it like a spell checker, use these tools at the end.

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A digital accessibility toolkit designed to support teaching staff to create accessible resources and learning experiences.

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Find out about simple teaching techniques to help create an inclusive learning environment for your students.

Clear communication in Canvas

When using Canvas there are things you can do to help create an inclusive learning environment for your students.

Things you can do

Do:

write in plain English - consider creating a simple glossary of academic terms you regularly use, explaining potentially unfamiliar academic language such as 'rubric'

use specific commands, such as evaluate, compare, or contrast - avoid phrasal verbs like point out or look at

keep content short, clear, and simple

use a linear, logical layout

break up content with sub-headings, bullet points, images, and video

highlight what is essential and what is optional material

use the accessibility checker on Canvas

Class materials to be provided at least 24 hours in advance.

Things to avoid

Don't:

use figures of speech and idiom

create a wall of text

force users to remember things from previous pages - give reminders or add the link to help students find the correct place

use spatial phrases such as 'see below' or 'to the right'

create irrelevant cognitive load (information that is not related to the learning).

Clear communication about assessments
Inspired by an Evaluation of the Racially Inclusive Practice in Assessment Guidance Intervention on Students' and Staffs' Experiences of Assessment in HE (Campbell and Duke, 2023).
You can make sure you give clear information about assessments in both your teaching space and when you issue your assessment brief.

In your teaching space

When you are in the teaching space:

suggest when students should start preparing for their assessments, or consider introducing formative exercises and activities that prompt students to prepare for assessments

introduce exercises that translate marking criteria jargon into accessible language and provide examples for illustration

introduce more modelling exercises that critically assess examples of previous work

provide annotated examples (where possible), demonstrating what the assessment has done to achieve that particular grade.

You can also talk with your students about the assessment criteria.

You could:

show students how to find the criteria

lead a discussion on the meaning of the terms used, for example 'critical thinking/engagement'

introduce exercises that require students to apply the marking criteria

include an activity that engages students in defining the type of writing they are being asked to produce.

In your assessment brief

To avoid confusion, keep the assessment brief to three pages maximum.

You can include the:

submission deadline

grade weighting of assessment

formatting guidelines (for example 12pt, 1.5 spaced)

assessment instructions

learning outcomes being assessed

referencing style, this is usually specified at school or department level, and link to the correct referencing page on Skills Hub

link to academic misconduct information.

You should also:

give direct instructions

use clear action verbs

use examples/contexts/scenarios that are appropriate for people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Provide multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression

To help provide an inclusive learning environment, think about how:

students engage with your teaching content

your content is represented to students

students demonstrate that they have understood the content.

See Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for a set of concrete suggestions, that can be applied to any discipline or domain, to ensure diverse methods of engagement, representation, and expression.

Get to know your students

Before the start of term, email your students to briefly introduce yourself and explain your role. Use this as an opportunity to get to know your students' needs by asking: is there anything I can do to help you learn more effectively.

In your teaching sessions, and on your Canvas site, signpost students to the various University services and resources that can support their academic study:

This slide highlights the University's support services. Share this slide in class so that students are reminded of the services available to them while studying at Sussex.

In your lectures and seminars

The initial teaching session gives you an opportunity to share expectations and clarify any doubts your students may have about the course/module. You can also get to know your students in class.

In large lectures, you could try in-class polling or a Padlet wall - you can ask students to share something about themselves, their interests, concerns or questions about the course or module.

In small teaching groups, you could:

make a shared folder on OneDrive and encourage students to create a few introductory slides about themselves. You could upload your own as an example. The slides could contain images or short videos representing students' backgrounds and interests. (For example, flags of countries they have lived in)

take the time to allow both yourself and the students to learn how to pronounce other students' names.

Getting to know your students' backgrounds can shed light on factors that may impact their learning, such as living situations, learning differences, cultural backgrounds, finances, relationships, independence, and work. While you can't amend your teaching to best suit everyone's circumstances, having an understanding of the multitude of backgrounds that comprise your cohort can help build an empathetic, inclusive, and diverse learning environment.

Use technology

There are many ways in which technology can be used to empower and provide an inclusive experience for learners. The University supports and promotes a range of digital tools that you might find useful for teaching and learning. For further guidance around digital accessibility, view the digital accessibility toolkit.

Use images

Use images to:

reduce cognitive load

enhance comprehension

guide the reader through the text

Guide to good image selection

When selecting images to use, consider if:

the image enhances the comprehension of key topics/challenging ideas

there is a clearer/alternative way to communicate the information

the meaning of the image can be described using text.

You must use alternative text (alt text) to describe the images' contents. Alt text describes the appearance or function of an image. The text is read aloud by screen readers, which are used to assist students who are visually impaired.

Find out more about providing alt text in Canvas, Word, PowerPoint, or on social media.

Use group discussions

Use classroom discussions to help stimulate and extend thinking, and advance learning and understanding.

There can be challenges to facilitating equal participation in groups. Use these strategies to help mitigate imbalances, such as:

randomising groups

assigning students roles (facilitator, note taker)

encouraging quieter students to engage by inviting them to contribute to the discussion

encouraging students to share what they did and didn't understand

ensuring that international students have something to offer. For example, a comparison from another country. How a film/book etc would be received in another culture and why

using the first session to co-create ground rules for participating in class.

Use active learning

Getting students to undertake activities as part of the learning process can help deepen engagement with content, build learning communities, and promote higher order thinking. The Active Learning Network provides an online collaborative platform to showcase and discuss approaches to active learning across higher education.

In 2022, the network published an open-access book: 100 Ideas for Active Learning to inspire educators to incorporate active learning into the curriculum. The book has a chapter dedicated to building inclusive communities through active learning. This chapter is full of practical advice around building an active learning community, where all students are included.
See more from Teaching methods

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Find out about simple teaching techniques to help create an inclusive learning environment for your students. When using Canvas there are things you can do to help create an inclusive learning environment for your students.

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Discover how to maximise your learning and find accessible solutions for your study needs.

How to get assistive technology as a student

If you are a UK student, you can get hardware (such as headphones, laptops, recording equipment and printers) funded by Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA).

You can also get software (including screen-readers, speech-to-text programs and mind mapping solutions) for free through the same process.

If you do not qualify for DSA, there are some free and cost-effective options to help you study.

Assistive technology on your computer

Your computer has built in accessibility settings.

Depending on your computer's system, check:

Extra software you can download

There are many assistive software options for students with, and without, recognised needs.

These can help with:

reading (using, for instance, a screenreader or a coloured overlay)

referencing and notetaking

typing (using voice recognition)

checking spelling, punctuation and grammar

concentration and time management

managing anxiety and regulating your mood.

You can download the following free assistive software from IT Services:

ClaroRead Pro - a multi-sensory solution for reading and writing

MindView - software to visually map and organise ideas

NVDA screenreader - reads out the content of digital documents

ZoomText - enlarges and enhances everything on your computer screen, making all of your applications easy to see and use.

Equipment

There are many hardware solutions to support your study needs, from laptop stands to specialist input devices.

Items include:

digital recorders and microphones

headphones, headsets and earbuds

ergonomic keyboards and braille displays

pointing devices, such as a mouse, track ball or trackpad

eye-tracking cameras

ergonomic chairs and adjustable desks.

The cost of these items can vary. If you qualify for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA), these costs are usually covered by funding.

If you don't qualify for DSA, you can search online to find equipment that suits your needs and budget.

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Discover how to maximise your learning and find accessible solutions for your study needs. If you are a UK student, you can get hardware (such as headphones, laptops, recording equipment and printers) funded by Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). You can also get software (including screen-readers, speech-to-text programs and mind mapping solutions) for free through the same process.