CCPD has a Rehab contract with the local PACTs to provide job-ready
training and IT for local unemployed people. One of our recent
trainees was dyslexic and well known to us (we first met him while he
was in HE and we did a DSA assessment for him). He expressed the wish
to follow up on the study skills support which he still felt the need
for and so we wrote to his DEA to ask for a flexible approach to his
training. We then contacted a local specialist provider of dyslexia
diagnosis and study/work skills support, and arranged for them to
interview him and arrange an appropriate programme. We asked, and the
PACT agreed, that he could interleave his IT training (with us) with
his other trainer's input. It seems to be working OK so far.
On a less happy note, we received an award from the Employment
Service in 1993 for a course we designed for local unemployed
dyslexic adults. It ran once only because the TECs refused to pay
for it. It was seen to be too expensive because of the various inputs:
IT, literacy, time management, stress management etc.
There is a big difference in our experience between the relatively
disability aware PACT and those who control TEC funding. The
latter are less than helpful.
As regards assessment. If this means diagnosis then the Occupational
Psychologists in the PACT can do this but have very little time to do
so. For the rest of the job I agree with Karen, they tend to refer outside to
centres like ours.
Dave Laycock MBE
Head of CCPD, Chair of NFAC
Computer Centre for People with Disabilities
University of Westminster
72 Great Portland Street
London W1N 5AL
tel. 0171-911-5161
fax. 0171-911-5162
WWW home page: http://www.wmin.ac.uk/ccpd/
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