School art officer’s anthology boost (From This Is Wiltshire)

School art officer’s anthology boost

10:02am Thursday 5th January 2012 in News

A MEMBER of staff at Commonweal School is celebrating after having her work published in a new anthology entitled Forgotten Letters.

Josie Williams, Commonweal’s Community Arts Development Officer, is among distinguished company in the book, with celebrities including Paul Ross, novelist Rod Duncan and children’s author and illustrator Sally Gardner included. The anthology is unique in that the contributors, including Josie, are all dyslexic Ian Abbott, Dyslexia Friendly Co-ordinator and advisory teacher for dyslexia and specific learning difficulties at the Commonweal School, said: “The anthology is also unique in that it wants to show that books are not ‘beyond’ dyslexic individuals; indeed there are many successful dyslexic people who can read and spell perfectly well, and this is a really important message for dyslexic children to hear.

“Josie herself is also keen that this message gets out.”

For some years now, Swindon schools have been involved with the British Dyslexia Association’s Dyslexia Friendly Schools Initiative.

Forgotten Letters: An Anthology of Literature by Dyslexic Writers is available through Rasp books, priced around £15.