My name is Aneta and I come from the Czech Republic. I was in my last year of master studies at university. I had only a thesis to write and the pandemic to deal with. So I decided it was the right time to challenge myself and go for my first abroad work experience. There it was. A company with a passion for education and a great vision for society – making our world a more welcoming place for everyone, especially people with Specific Learning Disorders (called SLD). That was something I felt connected to and understood as a healthcare professional and lecturer. I was excited to find out more about the company´s vision. So I applied and shortly after I was accepted for the internship. I have been working here from the middle of July 2020.I joined Logopsycom with, I would say, good overall knowledge on what SLDs are. Firstly, because of my brother being dyslexic and dysgraphic. Dyslexia and dysgraphia are SLDs. Secondly, because of my professional background. So I knew what SLDs were and the difficulties that people with SLDs usually face. What I was not so aware of are the small things that everybody can do to create a more friendly environment for them.
I remember my brother´s first school years struggling with writing, with grammar, with spelling and reading comprehension. His handwriting bumpy and uneven which he would always compare to his twin sister. He has never had good grades in subjects where these skills were prominent. And I remember my mum would sit with him for hours trying to help him.
But little did she know that there were minor changes that could have given him the same chances as any other child. That is called inclusion. I know that now. I wish I had the knowledge I have now ten years ago because I believe it could have made a huge difference in my brother´s life. I am shocked I have not heard about it sooner.
SLDs do not affect intelligence. SLDs challenge an individual´s learning process. Inclusion is not about people without SLDs adapting to people with SLDs. It is about creating an equal opportunity. Just as race, gender, and financial resources should not influence access to quality education, neither should the presence of SLDs.
For so I learned adaptations for people with SLDs.
Materials that are structured this way are also adequate for other students to use. Teachers do not need to prepare two different versions. None of these modifications affect other students in a bad way.
Inclusion for people with SLDs is one of the areas of expertise of Logopsycom. The company uses this expertise in all 17 of their projects. They give advice in pedagogical guides about how to implement the results of each project in an inclusive way for students with SLDs and sometimes even for a larger audience with specific needs. This way, all their project‘s outputs can also be effective for people with SLDs.
The environment Logopsycom operates at is competitive. It takes a team of many professionals for a project to be remarkable. And that is the team of inspiring people I joined 4 weeks ago. I am glad I took my chances on this Erasmus+ internship. Until today, the time has passed very quickly. I had high expectations for this internship! I am very happy about my four first weeks and am excited about the next eight!
This is the fourth Sustainable Development Goal for 2030 by the UNESCO.
Reference list:
- Peters, Jeremy. “What is Inclusion?.” The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research 2 (1999): 15-21. Web. [Accessed 10 August 2020]. Available at: <http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol2/iss1/5>
- UNESCO. 2020. Inclusion In Education. [online] Available at: <https://en.unesco.org/themes/inclusion-in-education> [Accessed 10 August 2020].