Dyslexia

Life, Learning and Dyslexia Behind Bars

Jackie Hewitt-Main OBE has opened up learning for offenders in two prisons and is turning her attention to life on the outside.
Jackie Hewitt-Main OBE

In October. Dyslexia Behind Bars, a project run by The Cascade Foundation, received a commendation from The Howard League for Penal Reform in the Restorative Justice category.

The Foundation mentors and support people who have dyslexia, head-injury or other learning difficulties. both in and out of prison. It was set up by Jackie Hewitt-Main OBE who was diagnosed with severe dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia in her 40s.

A different approach to teaching

Like many others with dyslexia, she had drive and an entrepreneurial spirit. She started a sandwich round, which grew into a flourishing catering business and went on to establish a health food shop and finally a charity - the Cascade Foundation - to research dyslexia in prisons and to help offenders who were disadvantaged by their poor  literacy and numeracy.

It began when one of her sons was injured in an accident. Jackie helped him learn to read and write again. I visited academics and researched different ways of learning, which I then combined into a unique approach to help my son.

When her son went to college to take exams he had missed at school, Jackie met teacher Sue Blackburn who recognised her learning difficulties and arranged an assessment. As Jackie learnt more about how different conditions impacted learning, she developed a more fully fledged method of teaching.

I met Jackie back in 2006. I was co-author of a book Supporting Children With Dyslexia: Practical Approaches For Teachers And Parents with Garry Squires, now Professor in Educational Psychology, SEN and Inclusion at Manchester University. It was published by Continuum and I wrote Words of Encouragement for the Guardian about ways technology could screen for dyslexia and help people overcome day to day difficulties.

Identifying dyslexia

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