Dyslexia isn’t isolated case

Well trained teachers can inspire children. However, Dr Evans’ child’s traumatic experience where a “dyslexia friendly” school failed to pick up severe dyslexia should not go unnoticed ( Post 17/ 03/ 17).

With dyslexia affecting at least 10 per cent of children, damage to many young people’s self- esteem and ambition can exist before distress is seen. This is avoidable, but demands staff trained to a uniform standard.

Not an isolated case, Dyslexia Ayrshire hears this “tip of an iceberg” story routinely. The overwhelming responses on social media to Dr Evans’ report reveal parents and ex- pupils still concerned about the issues brought to South Ayrshire Council years ago.

Recently South Ayrshire Council asked Dyslexia Ayrshire to “work together” over issues on its helpline. Over three years, without investigation, the Council obstructed every single helpful outcome of 18 serious concerns children with dyslexia and their parents meet, like the case of Dr Evans, which arose during those very discussions as if to prove the point!

Embarrassed? The council promptly closed down the meetings. But the Pupil Support Coordinator had time to gratuitously mock the charity’s activities on behalf of children. Therefore, the Director of Education’s claim to “constantly review the way we work and, if there are areas where we can improve, we are happy to do so” seems not to include “dyslexia” and “distressed children”. Elected Councillor Margaret Toner, the Council education portfolio holder, who herself receives complaints over dyslexia, seems unaccountably silent.

And the public knows his “staff work tirelessly”. Better to ensure they work “smarter” by training to a uniform dyslexia standard, to avoid this potential damage to children. Dyslexia Ayrshire, offered help in this for free, but was rejected. Astonishingly “Dyslexia Friendly Schools” also come with no such training, yet give themselves “awards” for skills too many seem unable to demonstrate in the classroom. Teachers privately tell Dyslexia Ayrshire they struggle to gain experience in dyslexia. Evidence suggests some still secretly believe such children are slow, lazy and careless, and will never succeed. Training in real dyslexia can change everything.

The Scottish Government’s working definition of dyslexia, which involved Dyslexia Ayrshire, declares that “unidentified, dyslexia is likely to result in low self- esteem, high stress, atypical behaviour, and low achievement”. Further to last week’s letter about dog mess, we have actually had dogs come into our garden while their owners stood on the street and watched.

No attempt was made to stop their dogs coming into our garden or to clean up after them.

If I could have gone out before they moved on, I would have asked why they allowed this to happen.

These people have no respect for other people’s property. They are not locals and simply don’t care what their dogs do and where they do it.

Please take your mess home. On behalf of Ayr Rotary Club, can I thank the Ayrshire Post for their pre- Beach Clean feature which I hope will rally even more volunteers to help clean up our beaches.

And on the point of “volunteers”, may I provide some clarification on a small related piece - in which Mr Billy Sloan of Maidens expresses concern about the state of Maidens Beach, and claims that “the Council never cleans it - and the volunteers of the Rotary also bypass it”.

Eleven years ago, as a result of the disgusting state in which we found many beaches when surveying the Ayrshire Coastal Path route we set up the Annual Rotary Beach Clean to clear thousands of bags of rubbish from remote beaches that were not civic beaches cleaned by South Ayrshire Council.

With Ayr Rotary being a large club, we took on Heads of Ayr, Bracken Bay, Fisherton, Dunure, Drumshang, and Dipple shores, in addition to local areas at Seafield and Newton shore that were outwith council responsibility. On those beaches we will pick up all rubbish but do not shift seaweed!

Regarding Maidens shore, I think I may be correct that this a public beach within the remit of SAC or Maidens and Kirkoswald Community Council, in which case, Mr Sloan might be better seeking help from them - or perhaps try to organise a group of volunteers from the community who benefit from this beach amenity.

I’m sure with a little local effort, the good folk of Maidens could do likewise. While Ayr Rotary is stretched to our limit this year, I’m sure that we could help coordinate their volunteer efforts in 2018. I have just, this beautiful morning of March 24, returned from a walk along our potentially lovely Ayr beach. Sadly the experience was spoiled by the disrespectful owners of a silver Kia registration: FB57 AWF.

Their two black labs bounded on to the beach, defecated in great measure, near where my grandchildren would have played, and made for the water. The lady about turned to her car and I felt relief, thinking she was going for a bag to remove the offensive foul mass, so I said nothing.

I should have however, because, in reality she was not going for a bag to clean up her dogs’ mess, but to retrieve her phone! I am still reeling from the shock that anyone could be so inconsiderate on a public beach, not to mention the health hazards to unsuspecting children digging in the vicinity.

What is to be done to maintain a pleasant environment? I am not against dogs, indeed in the past I have owned two dogs, but I feel the aforementioned incident is sufficient grounds for having a designated area for dogs and a dog free beach where others may relax. I noticed a Post article about council chiefs investing £ 79 million over the next five years to build on housing.

This news will be welcomed by those on waiting lists and tenants awaiting much needed upgrades. I try not to be cynical, however there is the matter of elections coming up and these announcements tend to happen at this time of year.

Can SAC tenants in North Wallacetoun rejoice at this news? Sadly not, the area is blighted by run down and at times unsafe close areas, some of which could be condemned.

This happened when a young lady broke her foot due to erosion of the stairs. When reported, the repairs were swiftly done. This is reactive rather than proactive. It would be in SAC interest to survey closes regularly to avoid compensation claims.

Close doors are left lying broken for months. There have been two new doors on order by SAC for 13 months.

The method of order is called quick quote, addicts, gangs of youths roam in and out of closes, leaving behind them needles, alcohol bottles, urine and at times feces.

The elderly are terrified and afraid to report crime and anti social behaviour for fear of a backlash.

Prostitution occurs in dark spaces where there is no lighting or lighting which is inadequate, condoms are left behind for children to discover.

SAC have upgraded closes which are in full council ownership, also a few where owners were willing to pay their share of the cost.

When SAC sold homes in the area, greed left the council blind to ensuring owners were liable for costs for closes etc. SAC can only move forward with close upgrades with the agreement of owners, only emergency repairs can be charged to owners.

Therefore, we have second class SAC tenants living in dangerous closes, many surrounded by tenants with addictions, which brings its own problems drug dealers who break doors for easy access for customers, with no hope of having entry systems repaired.

So we have a two- tiered tenant system problem, which cannot be solved by the community or SAC.

Do SAC officers and councillors know what’s going on here? We invite any of them to take a walk with us at anytime. They may get a surprise like one postman did on his rounds when he was confronted by two persons having sex in a close.

As SAC have decided to take away the only community hub in the area, who will speak out for the community?

It has been noted that professional people refer to the area as White City, we would ask that they desist from this and use the correct term of Wallacetoun.