Our speaker this month was Jacqui Flisher, a specialist in the field of dyslexia who has worked with people of all ages and is the dyslexia consultant for Thames Valley Police.  She started by asking the question “Is dyslexia a gift, a disability or both?”  She explained how dyslexics think in pictures and therefore struggle with so-called “trigger words” (such as “the” and “and”) which cannot be associated with a mental picture.  

She described the challenges in traditional school settings and the emotional and social impact and explained some of the techniques which she uses in her teaching.  However because of their ability to think in pictures, dyslexics have many different skills and many have been high achievers.  In fact, many companies are now actively recruiting dyslexic individuals because of these special skills