The academic experience of undergraduate and post-secondary students with dyslexia

Abstract

An ophthalmologist named Rudolph Berlin, described ‘dyslexia’ for the first time as the ‘loss of the ability to read’ (Anderson & Meier-Hedde, 2001). Although dyslexia is nowadays more profoundly understood, this perception of the condition represents the understanding and attitudes of many non-dyslexic people in society. Coping with dyslexia as an adult, studying at a higher level of education, can be more difficult as it becomes more challenging to develop strategies which help to compensate in their studies. The aim of this study is to explore the way in which the lives of undergraduate students or students sitting for their postsecondary examinations who struggle with dyslexia, are affected academically. A qualitative approach was adopted in this study and semi-structured interviews were conducted with six dyslexic students who were currently enrolled in undergraduate and post-secondary courses. The data was analysed using Thematic Analysis. Five themes were elicited from the data gathered on the participants’ experiences with the struggles of dyslexia: (i) Social and emotional experience, (ii) Support systems, (iii) Success and Failure, (iv) Progress in reading and writing, and (v) Creativity. Findings highlight the various difficulties faced by dyslexic students throughout their academic careers. Increasing awareness about dyslexia and education can potentially alter society’s perception and attitude towards individuals with learning disabilities, as well as provide better-suited programs and accommodations in schools and university.