If this is the first time you have visited BRAINHE the Talkbar (above) will be switched on. Just click OFF on the bar above to switch it off.
About BRAINHE
BRAINHE.com is a non-commercial/non-profit making resource website for students and staff in higher education. It is run at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK, to help students with SpLDs (specific learning differences) and staff working with them. SpLDs include AD(H)D, Asperger's, autism, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyslexia and dyspraxia. We support the 'social model of disability' and use the term neurodiversity to encompass the types of brain currently associated with 'specific learning difficulties' (UK) and 'learning disabilities' (USA), as well as Meares-Irlen syndrome, Tourette's, stroke survivors and mental well-being issues. Click here for more information about BRAINHE.
| What would you like to see added to this website? Is there anything you like or dislike? Please click here to tell us. |
Mind Map of the BRAINHE Home Page. Click on the boxes below to travel to the various sections of this page.
- How to use this website and its accessibility options.
- What is Neurodiversity?
- What does this site offer?
- What's new?
- BLOG - post your comments about neurodiversity issues
- Events and Conferences
- Electronic copy of our leaflet
How to use this website
We have tried to make this website as accessible and easy to use as possible. To do this we have included:
Textic Toolbar (blue bar at the bottom of the page) which can adjust the size, style and colour of the text on this website, the background design and colour. Textic Toolbar instructions.
Textic Talkbar (small grey bar at the top left of the page below the title) which can read the content of the website aloud to you. Textic Talkbar instructions.
To view our site in a different language using babelfish click here
This website contains information for staff and students. The links to these pages can be found in the right hand column. Other links found on this site are underlined and in blue.
TEXTIC have supplied us with a dictionary and thesaurus which is accessed by holding the cursor over a word, and right-clicking the mouse. The definition of the word and alternative words will appear in a list and be read to you by the Talkbar.
There is now a range of hot keys which allow the Talkbar to be controlled by the keyboard:
- To switch Talkbar on - press F9.
- To hear what the hot keys are and what they do - press F12.
- To view a list of the hot keys - click here.
What is Neurodiversity?
We prefer the word neurodiversity to other words or phrases, not only because we include such a range of brain types (which may not always be associated with an educational context), but also because it is a more "user friendly" term. Within neurodiversity, we include stroke survivors and those with mental health issues. Terminology is a tricky issue and there are different views of the term 'neurodiversity'. Mary Colley from the UK Developmental Adult Neurodiversity Association (DANDA) has some thoughts on this subject.
The Wikipedia entry on neurodiversity can be found here.
Opposing views to the concept of neurodiversity:
This diagram aims to show the overlaps between many of the types of neurodiversity. It is our first attempt at such a thing, and is based on the work of Mary Colley of the UK DANDA. We welcome comments on it, and links to any similar work elsewhere.
We support a social model of dyslexia, and recommend this statement of it, written by Dr Ross Cooper of LLU+ at London South Bank University. The Adult Dyslexia Organisation in the UK also has a similar statement.
Brainhe supports the social model of disability which underpins the concept of neurodiversity. Our paper on the topic by Eddie Griffin can be found here. We also like this article on applying the social model to health and social care services.
What does this site offer?
This is an independent information site for all university students and tutors in higher education; for those studying every subject from ancient history, physics, performance art, to veterinary science and medicine.
We provide thorough and up-to-date information resourced from, and collated by, specialists in the field of education, psychology and importantly, national and international support organisations for neurodiverse people run by neurodiverse people.
We also provide links to universities worldwide.
What's New
May 2008:
1. In the UK, there is a new unique post-graduate course for professionals which covers dyscalculia and dyslexia. You can read about it here .
2. We would also like to promote UK dyslexic artist Mike Juggins, whose new website is here .
April 2008:
1. At the end of last month, we presented at the British Dyslexia Association international conference about the interviews people gave us for the project . You can see our presentation here . This year, we have published about the project in the SKILL journal (the UK's National Bureau for Students with Disabilities), and our articles will also shortly appear in Dyslexia Review (published by Dyslexia Action) and Dyslexia (journal of the British Dyslexia Association). We have been invited to speak at the autumn conference of the British Psychological Society.
2. The BRAINHE project is given a very positive mention in the latest edition of Dyslexia at College by Du Pre, Gilroy and Miles (published by Routledge). The Amazon page about the book is here .
March 2008:
1. We have moved the "electronic copy of the leaflet" from the right hand column. We felt that the column was looking a little crowded and wanted to simplify it. We have moved it to the bottom of the section titled About BRAINHE.
2. An interesting page by Judy Singer briefly discussing the term neurodiversity here.
3. Interesting article about the various discourses of dyslexia here.
4. Power Point Presentation about ways to assist students who have Asperger's Syndrome by Dr N Martin here.
February 2008:
1. Sheffield University (UK) has an excellent study skills website for dyslexic students, with all the text spoken by a real person. The site was principally developed by Lizzie Pine, Claire Allam and her team at their Learning Development Media Unit. It is multi-sensory, with an audio-led approach. The website offers 'clean' screens, with carefully controlled amounts of text and guided exercises for students to follow. The areas covered are writing, reading and referencing skills. There is the option to turn off the audio and simply read the screens if students wish to work faster than the voiceover allows.
2. Crossbow Education is a useful company promoting what they call "dyslexia teaching resources". Most of the materials are suitable for children, but university students might benefit from their coloured overlays. There are also links to some interesting articles.
3. This is a wonderful video clip of an English academic called Ken Robinson, author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, and a leading expert on innovation and human resources. In this talk, he makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. [Recorded February, 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 20:02]. It includes an anecdote about a young girl who was said to have a learning difficulty.
4. The 'print and online resources' page for staff now includes links to a speech last year by Sir Ken Robinson. Our extracts from the speech include this:
"There is a view of knowledge and intelligence….. that really intelligence is that form of thinking which can be rendered into verbal and mathematical propositions in a linear and deductive way. And I think it is and was always an impoverished view of intelligence."
5. We have added this article on applying the social model of disability to health and social care services.
January 2008:
1. We have a link for a free media player that enables Mac (Apple Macintosh) users to view the WMA and WMV files we have in our video and audio gallery. Please click here to download VLC player for Mac OSX.
2. The 'Events' column includes a link to an OCD training day in the UK for professionals, service users and carers. This is special because it is being delivered by an organisation which says: "We are a nationally unique company because everyone at Raise! has a mental illness - from the Board of Directors to the cleaner."
The Textic toolbar has been added to the web pages. We think it is an excellent way for users with all kinds of brain to change the appearance of the site to suit them. Please let us know what you think of it.
If you'd like to add the Textic toolbar to your website, click on the advert below:
If you'd like us to include a link to an event you are running, or to update any of our pages, please email us at the address below. Our lists of printed resources such as books are inevitably rather UK-centred. If you are from another country and would like to tell us about any good books or good websites, please get in touch via the email address below.
