The Ministry of Education guarantees the right to education across the whole national territory” (‘Il Ministero dell’Istruzione garantisce il diritto allo studio su tutto il territorio nazionale’). The website of the Italian Ministry of Education reads this statement while talking about the right to a (quality) education and equity in means to be provided to all students. Is this really the case, though? Let’s discover it.
Our understanding of the reality that surrounds us can rarely be unbiased; we are born within specific contexts, brought up through certain ideals and beliefs which are difficult to drive away. The idea of “excellence”, especially in university environments, can be quite widespread and have repercussion on the experience of learning. Indeed, “excellence” is not always a synonym of “learning”, and, if it is taken as the final goal to which everyone should aspire, then it impairs the possibility of having equity in terms of education.
When talking about the terms and conditions of higher education, it is often the case that you read on universities’ charters the willingness to provide every single student with the same (high-quality) formational experience. Unfortunately, education it is not always appreciated in the same way by everyone, and equity as a concept is regularly overlooked.
To analyse the way in which these terms and conditions could be overhauled, envisioning a more comprehensive and equitable approach, I took some time to talk to a higher-education student to gather insight on their formational experience while dealing with dyslexia (or, more specifically, while dealing with the prejudices around dyslexia most people tend to have).
The website of the NHS states that ‘dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling’. Do you agree with this definition? [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/]
‘Yes, I would agree with this definition, and it is exactly starting from this notion that we should construct a wholly new social understanding of dyslexia. Dyslexia is defined, indeed, as a common learning difficulty, and, being as such, everyone should be aware of its existence. At the same time, no one shall be ashamed of being dyslexic’. While stating this, they continued by asserting how they have reached a point where they are comfortable in speaking openly about it. ‘I would like to underline how it has not always been like this, since I cannot deny that difficulties have been present. All along my academic path I have faced several different obstacles, and only recently have I become confident enough to be at ease with discussing dyslexia’.
What would you say has been the best experience you have had when dealing with academic issues concerning dyslexia?
‘I would have to say that my best experience was meeting informed professors, willing to fully understand all the difficulties connected to dyslexia, as well as supporting me during each and every phase of the educational process. This didn’t necessarily mean that they would reduce my workload, but it surely constituted a great psychological incentive, supporting me in performing better, as well as facing and overcoming all the challenges higher education might encapsulate. In all of these instances, I was conscious of the fact that I was dealing with people I thought greatly of, not just due to their professional career, but, as it often happens, for their values and ideals too’.
What would you say the worst ones have been?
‘Some of the worst experiences were cases in which I was confronted with teachers and colleagues who wouldn’t comprehend my complications at all; all the more, they would belittle them, discriminating both my difficulties and me. Being indirectly undervalued by people you think highly of is not easy at all. On the contrary, it sparks several insecurities, insecurities which have led me to question whether I was actually responsible for this, since I could not and still cannot consider being dyslexic as a flaw’.
Do you refrain from telling people you are dyslexic due to fear of judgement? What would you say is the biggest stigma to be dismantled concerning dyslexia?
‘Dyslexic people do not show visible or blatant problems; thus, it is commonly believed that they are being assisted and favoured, helped in spite of the fact that they don’t show any evident hindrances. This is probably the most widespread opinion which I had to internalise along the years. It hasn’t been easy, but over time I was able to comprehend it without letting it influence me, following my own path, the one I came to realise as being the right one. I have to admit, it wasn’t a painless process, and dyslexia still represents a weak spot for me’.
What is one big thing you would like to see changing?
‘Connecting to what I have said before, I believe that a syntagm I would like to see dismantled would be this common thought of the idea of dyslexia, since what could seemingly be understood as someone’s personal opinion, may actually become a source of great trauma for somebody else; this kind of trauma is not easy to overcome. In order for this to happen, everyone, from children to adults, should be more informed, or better put:, more educated over everything concerning dyslexia. I wish there were more support [for dyslexic people] in all levels of education, starting from primary school, all the way to higher education and university. A more educated educational sector would likely lead to the avoidance of discrimination, allowing dyslexic students to be free to feel equal to everyone else. Reassurance of being part of a community which understands your complexities, and which supports students who have more difficulties is crucial to be able to provide all of us with an equitable experience’.
Injustice develops in manifold ways, and they are all worthy of attention. Woefully, some of these developments are not given all the consideration they ought to get.
In case you were still wondering, the answer to the question in the title (definition: a rigid impression) is stereotype, a French term derived from the Greek στερεός, ‘firm, solid’ and τύπος, ‘impression, mark’. All these debates about linguistics might appear as silly or useless, a kind of automatic understanding embedded in everyday use of language. Indeed, for certain people, trying to assess the underlying elements composing a word might be crucial to allow for the overall comprehension. We shall learn, not everything has to be taken for granted.
Summing up, we should strive towards providing everyone with differentiated means based on diverse starting needs: that is the whole debate on equality versus equity. If, on one hand, efforts shall begin from individual stories, they ought to then find responses and change coming from above, from institutions. In a society manifesting for equal opportunities, for them not to be exploited just as mere slogans, a concretisation of equitisation should happen.
Just an average guy that read “On the road” a bit too soon and was led to tending to fall in love too much with too many things. Still in Bocconi, still trying to study Management of Government and International Organisations. I don’t know if I can say that I am a global citizen, I am more of a citizen that likes the globe.
