TOWARDS A SOCIOLOGY OF DYSLEXIA: Exploring Links between Dyslexia, Disability and Social Class

The aim of this book is to establish a sociological understanding of dyslexia within adulthood. The research explores the effects dyslexia has on the lives of individuals within an educational and employment context. A feature of the study is that it draws from literature within the social model of disability rather than employing the psycho- educational approach that dominates contemporary research. The study has placed dyslexia within the field of disability studies in an attempt to understand how this syndrome can be interpreted through the concept of disabling barriers. In order to explore dyslexia within the field of disability studies the book employs a biographical narrative approach. The book discusses the importance of identifying and supporting people with dyslexia within education and employment. By acknowledging that dyslexia is affected by issues of socio- economic status, the research has broadened the debate in relation to labelling individuals within education. The study has developed a pro-labelling approach based on evidence from the social and educational perspectives in order to represent the voices of participants within this study.

Stephen Macdonald is the Programme Leader for Health and Social Care (FdA) and holds a senior lectureship in social science at the University of Sunderland. He previously taught sociology and research methods at Newcastle University where he received his doctorate in the sociology.