ELT well was set up to provide information and help for language teachers who feel they need to know more about learning difficulties and disabilities.
The requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act mean that we can no longer brush the issue aside and pretend that it doesn't apply to private language schools - we now have not only a moral responsibility to anticipate the needs of our learners, and to provide the support they need, but a legal requirement.
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ELT well was set up and is run by me, Anne Margaret Smith. Here's a bit about me (in case you're curious):
I have been fortunate enough to have lived in Kenya, Germany, Sweden and the UK, to have worked in private schools, primary schools, colleges, universities, people's front rooms and all kinds of work places. I have had the pleasure of working with multilingual children, disgruntled teenagers, emergency rescue teams, weary factory workers, eccentric senior citizens (including a real live duchess!) and culture-shocked asylum seekers. Some of them were deaf, some dyslexic, some may have had chronic illnesses or developmental disorders, and I learnt something from each of them.
Along the way I have picked up the following qualifications:
BA (Hons) in English Language and Linguistics (York University)
Certificate in TEFLA (GlosCAT)
MA Language Teaching / Language Studies (Lancaster University)
Postgraduate Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties (Edinburgh University)
PGCE (Post-Compulsory Education) (University of Central Lancashire)
PhD in Educational Research / Linguistics (Lancaster University)
My
PhD combined my experience in English Language teaching and
Learner Support and explored how the issue of inclusive education is
addressed in teacher training and education for EFL teachers.
I am currently teaching ESOL in an FE college and assisting with the assessment of learners across the college. On my 'day off', I am working with dyslexic university students and adults with dysphasia, which I find fascinating.
I think it is important for teachers to be on the other side of the desk from time to time, so that we remember how it feels. Language classes that I have been a student in include: Ancient Greek, Anglo-Saxon, British Sign Language, French, German, Italian, Luo, Maori, Swahili and Swedish. I hold qualifications in some of these languages, and sometimes even conversations!
Just for the record, I am a member of the following organisations:
the British Dyslexia Association (BDA: Associate Member),
the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL),
the National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults (NATECLA), and
the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (PATOSS).