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Recommendations aim to build a more equitable FET sector for adults with dyslexia.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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Us about the ‘Temperature’ of Adult Learning  \npetra elftorp, barry coughlin, lucy hearn  \nAbstract  \nThis paper draws on the qualitative findings of a PhD study which focused on the lived experiences of adult learners with dyslexia in Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 adult learners with dyslexia in 2014 and these findings, with particular relevance to adult learning in the recently restructured Further Education and Training (FET) sector, are discussed in this paper. The findings relate to the struggle the adults have experienced throughout their lives and the support and accommodations they need as adult learners. Finally, recommendations are made in relation to creating a more equitable FET sector for adults with dyslexia.  \nKeywords: Dyslexia, Further Education and Training, Adult Guidance Counselling  \nIntroduction  \nDyslexia is not a new phenomenon or condition. Knowledge about dyslexia within an Irish education context has increased over the years, with key publications such as the Report of the Task Force on Dyslexia (DES, 2001) and the follow-up report by McPhillips et al. (2015) . Nonetheless, there are still prevalent misconceptions about dyslexia where literacy skills are being linked to intelligence, and many individuals with dyslexia experience social stigma (Evans, 2015; Riddell and Weedon, 2014) .  \nThe Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI, 2016) defines dyslexia as:  \n…a specific learning difficulty which makes it harder to learn how to read, write and spell accurately. It is not caused by lack of education or by lack of intelligence. Adults will often have developed ways of coping with these  \ndifficulties and even ways of hiding it. Dyslexic difficulties occur on a spectrum from mild to severe. (DAI, 2016, p. 2)  \nAdditionally, the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2011) offers a useful approach to understanding disability which can be described as a merger of the medical and the social models of disability. Consistent with this approach, dyslexia can be described as the result of dynamic interactions between biological, psychological and social factors (WHO, 2011) . Based on this approach, adult guidance counselling can be described as one of the key support activities for adult learners, which was the particular focus of this study (Elftorp, 2017a) . This approach also means that considerations of appropriate support for learners with dyslexia need to be multi-layered, particularly in the context of research which suggests that dyslexia is associated with poor educational retention, anxiety and low self-esteem (McGuckin etal., 2013; Pino and Mortari, 2014; UCC and CIT, 2010) .  \nThis paper will outline the context of the study, the methodology used, the findings and a discussion of those findings in relation to previous research. Finally, a number of recommendations conclude this paper.  \nContext  \nIn Ireland, Higher Education (HE) is gradually becoming more accessible to individuals with dyslexia and other disabilities (AHEAD, 2018) . A number of national initiatives and an infrastructure to support access and participation in HE have been established, such as the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) scheme and Disability Support Services (McCarthy et al., 2018) . This infrastructure has been put in place thanks to clear targets and a focus on ‘widening’ access to HE in public policy (Fleming et al., 2017; HEA, 2015) . However, such efforts have not been replicated in the FET strategy, and consequently, there have been no means to measure participation, no clear targets and no national approach or disability support structure established to date (McGuckin etal., 2013) .  \nIt is estimated that there are nearly twice as many learners with disabilities in the FET sector compared to the HE sector (AHEAD, 2018; SOLAS, 2016) and these learners may have limited access to appropriate support. It is important to emphasise, however, the dispe","cbCaivCIl6m8ktCq","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaivCIl6m8ktCq","pdf",91625,14,"English","# Introduction\n# Context\n# Methodology\n# Findings\n# Discussion\n# Recommendations","[{\"question\":\"What study focus does the paper describe for adult learners with dyslexia?\",\"answer\":\"The paper focuses on the lived experiences of adult learners with dyslexia in Ireland and how these experiences inform adult learning in the restructured FET sector.\"},{\"question\":\"How were participants and data collected?\",\"answer\":\"Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 adult learners with dyslexia in 2014, and qualitative findings were drawn from these interviews.\"},{\"question\":\"What kinds of support and accommodations does the paper emphasize?\",\"answer\":\"The paper highlights the struggle adults have experienced across their lives and the support and accommodations adult learners need, including guidance counselling as a key support activity.\"}]","What Adult Learners with Dyslexia Can Tell Us about the ‘Temperature’ of Adult Learning | PDF",1792065893,35]