Authors: Giovanni Torrisi, Sonia Piangerelli The European project ICTBell aims to investigate the field of dyslexia and language learning, with the final purpose to create a specially designed Business English Language Learning ICT-based course and a virtual learning environment (VLE) where dyslexic learners can thrive through the integrated e-learning content, virtual learning environment and online tutorage.

1. How new technologies can help with ‘invisible
disabilities’
Giovanni Torrisi & Sonia Piangerelli
University of Urbino, Italy
Summary
The European project ICTBell aims to investigate the field of dyslexia and language learning,
with the final purpose to create a specially designed Business English Language Learning ICT-
based course and a virtual learning environment (VLE) where dyslexic learners can thrive
through the integrated e-learning content, virtual learning environment and online tutorage.
The general objectives of the project are to support improvements in quality and innovation in
language learning for adult dyslexics while supporting participants in language learning.
In recent years the idea that Internet would contribute to a new era of participatory democracy
has become dominant, but there is a real risk that what has been proclaimed as a tool of
democracy can turn into a factor leading to social marginalization for those who are not able to
master the processes of reading/writing proficiently. To avoid this risk, it is necessary that the
educational and social institutions consider the problems and difficulties that people with
disabilities have to face when they use modern technology, and provide them with specific tools
like training, and software.
Only in this way can technology be considered, if not the solution, at least a part of the process
to minimize the impact of dyslexia on individuals, to promote social inclusion assisting with the
difficulties, the anxieties and the problems that the dyslexic have to face in everyday situations.
Keywords: accessibility, case study, inclusion, innovation, learning, support
Dyslexia: an “invisible disability”
Today more than in the past, reading is essential because it is the most important portal to
knowledge in our information age, from ebooks to LIMs (electronic blackboards), so the
Internet. Learning to read is, however, arduous for the 5 to 17% of children who have
developmental dyslexia.
Developmental dyslexia is a specific learning disability that consists in persistent failure to
acquire efficient reading skills despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and
socio-cultural opportunity [American Psychiatric Association, 1994; World Health Organization,
1993]. Dyslexic people usually show a deficit in the phonological component of language that
impairs their ability to segment the written word into its underlying phonological components,
and this results in difficulty in acquiring proficient skills in reading, writing, and spelling.
Today there are a multitude opinions regarding dyslexia, due to the fact that it is an “invisible
disability”. Specifically, dyslexia is not associated with a visible impairment as in those confined
to a wheelchair, for example, yet as in other disabilities, it determines a handicap, constituting
an important disadvantage for the affected individuals. On the outside, a dyslexic child or adult
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2. cannot be distinguished from one who is non dyslexic, with the consequence that this disability
often remains undiagnosed. Almost all dyslexics have had to deal with teachers who have
doubted their disability, ascribing the student’s difficulties to negligence and carelessness. As a
matter of fact, it is important to underline that WHO (World Health Organization), in 1980, in
defining “disability” as “any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform
an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being” did not
specify that the impairment must necessarily be “visible”1. Thus, dyslexia determines a
handicap, namely, applying the definition of WHO, “a disadvantage for a given individual,
resulting from an impairment or a disability, that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is
normal (depending on age, sex, and social and cultural factors) for that individual”.
The dyslexic lives in a condition of disadvantage and very often, he/she is unable to recognise
that his/her difficulties are the result of a disability that she/he himself cannot see. This is the
moment in which the individual affected by dyslexia, begins believing that she/he is not as
intelligent as her/his schoolmates.
This condition determines a sense of frustration, psychological unease, loss of self-esteem and
aversion toward school and culture in general, since even in an era of multimedia and in a
knowledge-based society, social relationships and culture are mainly accessible through
reading and writing.
The majority of currently available dyslexia research has demonstrated that only two children
out of ten diagnosed with dyslexia recover reading ability through therapy. This means that
there is a consistent number of dyslexic adults who continue to suffer from the severe
consequences of the disability: they often avoid writing, tend to hide reading problems due to
embarrassment, and have difficulty in organizing their time, materials, and tasks. Therefore
they frequently find employment below their intellectual capacity. We can see how dyslexia
represents a significant handicap not only during primary education, but also in adult life,
negatively influencing many contexts of everyday life such as in social relationships and work.
Disadvantages and risk of social exclusion for dyslexics in the
Age of Information
Our age has been defined the Age of Information because it is characterized by the ability of
individuals to find, transfer and use information freely, having instant access to knowledge in a
way that would have been impossible just a few decades ago. Although multimedia have
become an important part of our knowledge-based society, the ability to read and to write
remains fundamental. Most of the material found on the Internet is to be read and most
interaction takes place through reading, even more in the era of web 2.0: we read by surfing the
net, by exchanging messages on our mobile phones, we write participating in chat rooms or
posting on our blog. The most widespread and successful Internet synchronous and
asynchronous communication technologies are based on reading and writing skills. During a
chat session, for example, communication is fast, all parties involved in the discussion are
online simultaneously and they are communicating in "real time". Similar difficulties apply to
other asynchronous applications, such as blogs. Reading an endless list of posts can be very
tiresome and replying to them (to be included in the discussion), very difficult. Nonetheless,
these environments are entirely textual and may pose a disadvantage to students with dyslexia.
It is also important to consider that mass literacy is a relatively recent social goal: a hundred
years ago people did not need to be good readers because reading was not essential in their
lives and only higher social classes were literate. In the Age of Information and in a Knowledge
Based Society, on the other hand, reading and writing have become indispensable to
understand increasingly complex material and to be socially integrated. Most professions are
heavily based on these simple skills and manual jobs are every day becoming more rare.
Almost any human activity is nowadays related to reading, from shopping (i.e. prices) to health
1
Stella G., La dislessia, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2004
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3. (i.e. medicals information) to citizenship (i.e. application forms, certificates), to social inclusion
(i.e. reading newspapers, books). Dyslexics risk remaining at Information Society’s margin
because “although reading and spelling problems may be compensated to varying degrees, the
residual difficulties of dyslexic adults typically include low reading speeds, phonetic spelling and
poor written expression”2.
It is easy to deduce that people with this kind of problem may have difficulty in understanding
website’s content for example, and may find some common problems using the Internet such
as: small fonts, poor contrast backgrounds (either too low or too high), large blocks of text,
cluttered page layouts, animated images or blinking/moving text, lots of capitals or italics, or
justified texts (resulting in uneven spacing between words).3 This is the reason why it is very
important that web developers become more and more aware of the difficulties some people
have to face, and encourage them take measures to enhance web accessibility and usability for
dyslexics so as to avoid digital and social exclusion.
Thus regarding, a specific contribution is given by ICTBell project with the report ICT in English
Language Teaching and Learning in support of the dyslexic individual4, by Boris Stoyanov.
It has been demonstrated, in fact, that digital and social exclusion are linked: it is not by chance
that the use of technology increases with wealth, that 2/3 of non-users are unemployed, that
62% of people without any professional qualification are non-users, as compared to the 6%
having a college degree, and that 75% of socially excluded people do not go online 5. These
data suggest that it is very important to promote the use of computers and new technology
starting from primary school. Dyslexic students in particular should become familiar with the
computer as a compensative tool. Computer programs like modern word processors (with their
automatic-correction tools), computer readers (and especially their speech synthesis
component), audio-books or specific software for the rehabilitation of dyslexics, if largely
available at schools, could represent a way to counteract dyslexia. In the last few years, the
idea that a “machine”- that is computer rather than a teacher - can help, has become common
among researchers and accepted by political and social institutions. On the other hand, the
situation from the point of view of the materials at disposal can vary from situation to situation,
from school to school, and from country to country.
E-learning as well is becoming more and more common, due to its widely proclaimed
advantages. E-learning is a wonderful tool for bridging distances, accommodating different
learning paces and catering to differing cognitive styles. Nevertheless, without the proper
adjustments and ad hoc solutions, rather than promoting e-inclusion education may create
paradoxically barriers for students with cognitive disabilities in general, and dyslexia in
particular.6 The nature of these adjustments does not have to be necessarily technological, and
may consist in moderating and tutoring strategies. It is important to remember that to this regard
the Riga declaration states that “ICT contributes to improving the quality of everyday life and
social participation of Europeans, facilitating access to information, media, content and
services, to enhanced and more flexible job opportunities, and to fight against discrimination.
Improving ICT access for people with disabilities and elderly is particularly important. To
convincingly address e-Inclusion, the differences in Internet usage between current average
use by the EU population and use by older people, people with disabilities, women, lower
education groups, unemployed and “less-developed” regions should be reduced to a half, from
2005 to 2010”.7
2
Snowling, quoted in Rainger P., A Dyslexic Perspective on e-Content Accessibility, available at www.techdis.ac.uk
3
Vassallo S., Enabling the Internet for people with dyslexia, available at http://www.e-bility.com/articles/dyslexia.php
4
http://www.tutor-italia.com/content/ictbell/Survey_of_the_relevant_ICT.pdf
5
Ministerial debate on e-Inclusion Policy, available at
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/einclusion_lisbon/docs
6
B. P. Woodfine B.P., Baptista Nunes M., Wright D.J., Constructivist eLearning and Dyslexia:
Problems of Social Negotiation in Text-Based Synchronous Environments, International conference on Multimedia
and ICT in education available in www.formatex.org.micte2005/97.pdf
7
Ministerial Conference “ICT for an inclusive society” , the RIGA declaration available at
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/ict_riga_2006/doc/declaration_riga.pdf
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4. In recent years the idea that Internet would contribute to a new era of participatory democracy
and a revitalisation of the “public sphere”, to use Jurgen Habermas’s words, has become
dominant, but there is the real risk that what has been proclaimed as a tool of democracy can
turn into a factor leading to social marginalization for those who are not able to master the
processes of reading/writing proficiently. To avoid this risk, it is necessary that the educational
and social institutions consider the problems and difficulties that people with disabilities have to
face when they use modern technology, and provide them with specific tools like training, and
software. Only in this way can technology be considered, if not the solution, at least a part of the
process to minimize the impact of dyslexia on individuals, to promote social inclusion assisting
with the difficulties, the anxieties and the problems that the dyslexic have to face in everyday
situations. Let’s consider the working environment: speaking and writing in English is becoming
very important for workers today, so dyslexic people, who have to cope with important
difficulties with the written language (and with learning foreign languages in general) may find
themselves at a disadvantage in the global job market.
ICTBell: a case of social inclusion via ICT
In this perspective, the European project ICTBell aims to investigate the field of dyslexia and
language learning, with the final purpose to create a specially designed Business English
Language Learning ICT-based course and a virtual learning environment (VLE) where dyslexic
learners can thrive through the integrated e-learning content, virtual learning environment and
online tutorage. The general objectives of the project are to support improvements in quality
and innovation in language learning for adult dyslexics while supporting participants in
language learning. This goal can be achieved by developing innovative training activities in the
acquisition of language skills and qualifications that would facilitate the personal development
of the participants.
Thus, the specific objectives of the ICT bell Project include the transfer of innovative
technologies from the ICT sector to the sector of English language learning for adult dyslexics
and the development of ICT-based Business English language learning content (online learning
services, innovative e-pedagogies). This would encourage the target group to accelerate
language skill development to enter the EU market and business environment.
The foreseen project outcomes include ICT integrated Business English language learning
electronic content (e-content), the testing of the methodology and online tutoring handbook for
trainers, the building of an open sources based Virtual learning environment (VLE) and the
development of a website integrated with a virtual collaborative environment (VCE).
The partnership that is implementing the project is formed by organizations and experts in the
areas of Dyslexia, language learning, European projects and ICT enhanced learning (e-
learning) that operate in 5 European countries: ONECO, Spain (promoter); Infoart, Bulgaria;
English at Work GmbH, Germany; GNW, Hungary; in Italy, TUTOR European Centre for the
Development of Advanced Expertise and Liceo Linguistico Internazionale.
During the first phase of the project, the partners investigate the foreign language learning
conditions of dyslexics students in tertiary education in each participating country, their views
on this topic as well as their foreign language trainers’ point of view. This research was carried
out through a questionnaire addressed to both adults that define themselves as dyslexic and
those who do not. Analyzing the questionnaire results, it emerges that for dyslexics, the most
difficult task is writing, while for non dyslexics, it is the proper use of grammar. We have to
consider that writing, even if in the mother-tongue language, is a complex process we have
acquired in our primary education: it is not a naturally acquired skill, on the contrary it is
culturally transmitted through formal instruction.
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5. Writing involves a large number of cognitive processes. People with dyslexia suffer from
inefficient automatic information-handling processes, and have impaired Working Memory,
therefore they are disadvantaged in writing. Another explanation for writing problems in people
with dyslexia is that these students have difficulty with phonological representations resulting
from the phonological core deficit we have already mentioned. Specifically, they have difficulties
in constructing, maintaining, and retrieving phonological representations. 8
This impaired capacity to preserve and process the information, has a negative impact on the
organization and planning of written work. It is self evident that people who have difficulty in
learning to read, in mastering the phonology of, and writing in their own language, will find it
extremely arduous to learn to speak and write in a foreign language. Short-term memory
difficulties make it likely that learning vocabulary will also pose problems for the dyslexic
learner. Combined with the extra time required to access words from memory, the pupil may
have problems in maintaining concentration for a sufficient time to decode, comprehend,
respond and encode the message in the foreign language.9
The analysis of the results of the learning needs questionnaires for the ICTBell project (Dyslexic
Students and the Second Language Learning. A study on the learning needs - European
review10) indicates that dyslexics feel that they do not receive appropriate support in foreign
language learning: in particular they referred that they had some useful help in primary school,
but they felt abandoned in the following years of education.
The results of the survey conducted for the ICTBell project underline that e-learning is
considered a valid method of foreign language learning for dyslexics. While non-dyslexics feel
that they can learn well from books with more traditional methods which imply the perfect
mastery of the processes of reading, for dyslexics this obviously represent a much harder task.
Once again we see how much the dyslexic population differs from non-dyslexics as far as
learning methods and learning styles are concerned.
The questionnaire also aimed to examine the trainer’s view on the topic. The trainers’ familiarity
with dyslexia seems to be rather contingent and was gained primarily through experience. This
means that, although dyslexia is quite widespread (and this is confirmed by the fact that the
majority of trainers from the five countries had already taught dyslexics students) there is no
systematic and effective training regarding learning disabilities in general (and dyslexia in
particular). This lack of training has the result that, as the research has shown, most of the
trainers do not even understand exactly what kind of problems dyslexic students have to face.
According to the results of this study, the trainers believe that the greatest problems for dyslexic
students are understanding written texts, learning new words and using grammar rules, while
for dyslexic students, the biggest problem in learning a foreign language is learning new words
and the correct pronunciation. Instead, comparing trainers’ and students’ views of second
language usage, we see that they rank difficulties in a similar way, both of them confirming that
the greatest difficulty for dyslexics is writing in a foreign language. As far as the preferred
learning methods, learning language through personal contact is considered the most efficient
method by both trainers and students, but e-learning also appears to be a popular learning
tools.
ICTBell project will further contribute to the topic with the Business English Language Course
"Effective Mediated Business Communication Program", targeted at dyslexics' learning, and the
"Trainers Handbook", intended to support teaching to dyslexic students. Both contributions will
be available on line at ICTBell project website from middle 2010 on, together with European
and national additional resources about adult dyslexics language learning.
8
Van Genuchten E. , Cheng P.Leseman P.P.M, Messer M.H., Missing working memory deficit in dyslexia: children
writing from memory, available at http://csjarchive.cogsci.rpi.edu/proceedings/2009/papers/357/paper357.pdf
9
Crombie M., Foreign Language Learning and Dyslexia, available at http://hilarymccoll.co.uk/resources/Dxa1.pdf
10
http://www.tutor-italia.com/content/ictbell/Dyslexic_Students_Study.pdf
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6. Conclusion
Considering the enormous difficulties dyslexics have to face in our Age of Information we can
see how much bigger could be the risk for them to be excluded from the democratic process of
e-inclusion indicated by the Riga declaration. If educational institutions want to promote equal
study opportunities for all students, they have to understand the specific needs of students with
learning disabilities, and to provide them with those learning tools that can reduce their
handicap. From the analysis of the results of the learning needs questionnaires for the ICTBell
project emerged that this is encumbered by the lack of a systematic and effective training for
teachers and their consequent lack of awareness of the problems dyslexics have to overtake.
As far as foreign language learning, the results of the survey underline that for dyslexic
students, the biggest problem is learning new words and the correct pronunciation, that the
most difficult task is writing, and that e-learning is considered a valid method.
We have said that, make ICT an inclusion tool, rather than a factor of social exclusion for
people affected by learning disabilities, educational institution should promote researches and
innovation to produce those compensative tools that can reduce their handicap. Aiming to
support improvements in quality and innovation in language learning for adult dyslexics and
having the final purpose to create a specially designed Business English Language Learning
ICT-based course, ICTBell project is a good example of how ICT can be applied to promote the
social inclusion of a disadvantaged part of the population.
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available at http://www.tutor-italia.com/content/ictbell/Survey_of_the_relevant_ICT.pdf
Van Genuchten E., Cheng P.Leseman, P.P.M, Messer M.H., “ Missing working memory deficit in
dyslexia: children writing from memory”, available at
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Vassallo S., “Enabling the Internet for people with dyslexia”, available at http://www.e-
bility.com/articles/dyslexia.php
Woodfine B.P., Baptista Nunes M., Wright D.J., “Constructivist eLearning and Dyslexia: Problems of
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eLearning Papers • www.elearningpapers.eu • 6
Nº 19 • April 2010 • ISSN 1887-1542

7. Authors
Giovanni Torrisi
University of Urbino, Italy
giovanni.torrisi@uniurb.it
Sonia Piangerelli
University of Urbino, Italy
sonia.piangerelli@uniurb.it
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