RSABI unveils new campaign to raise dyslexia awareness in farming

Scottish farming charity RSABI has announced a new campaign which aims to raise awareness and spearhead support for farmers with dyslexia.

RSABI’s campaign is also aimed at driving awareness of how to make information in farming more dyslexia friendly by taking steps to improve communications.

Around 25% of Scotland’s farmers are estimated to have dyslexia, according to research undertaken by Dyslexia Scotland working with farming organisations.

However, one of the challenges is that many farmers, particularly those over 40, may never have been formally assessed for dyslexia and may even be unaware that they have it.

In response to this, during the months of November and December, RSABI will be offering farmers and crofters who may have dyslexia, but have never been assessed, a free professional assessment.

And the charity has launched an interview with Fife farmer Pete Black about how the impact of dyslexia on his life and farming career.

Pete, who farms at Newton of Collessie, spoke openly about having dyslexia when the Black family appeared in the “This Farming Life” series.

He said he didn’t realise he had dyslexia until he was an adult by which time he had developed a range of coping strategies.

“When I was at school in the 1990s dyslexia wasn’t spoken about very much but I knew I was always last to finish my reading," Pete said.

"The words would jumble in my head when I was looking at them and then they would jumble even more when I tried writing them down."

He said there are times, such as when he wants to clarify something on official websites which involve monochrome and block text, particularly with complex jargon, can be very difficult to process.

He said it is great to see children these days benefitting from dyslexia being picked up much quicker and at an early stage in primary education, so that children can be taught techniques and strategies to help them from a young age.

“Teachers these days are spot on and for my age group and older the awareness is becoming better, which is fantastic," Pete explained.

“I am lucky to do a job I love but it was a great relief to me to discover that I had dyslexia and to know that the reason I was struggling wasn’t down to a lack of effort or not trying hard enough.”

Encouraging others who suspect they may have dyslexia to contact RSABI, he said that by doing so they may learn something which will help make life easier, as "different approaches work best for different people".

“My advice to any young person, and especially those in farming, is dyslexia should not hold you back in any way," he added.

"You just have to find the best management technique for yourself – whether it is different fonts or different colours of paper you read from.

“Try not to worry as there are hundreds of successful people living life to the full who have dyslexia and it has not stopped anyone doing anything. It is just a different way to look at a problem.”

Carol McLaren, chief executive of RSABI, said the agricultural charity was regularly contacted by farmers and farm workers struggling with dyslexia.

"We know it can be worrying and distressing to be struggling to read and understand information, particularly for farmers with dyslexia living on their own.

“The reality is that simple steps like using certain fonts, avoiding white paper or backgrounds and block text can make a big difference, along with providing video and infographic content.”

To arrange a free assessment, which typically costs around £500, people involved in farming or crofting in Scotland should contact RSABI’s 24-hour freephone Helpline - 0808 1234 555