‘I couldn’t follow the course work, so I had teeth pulled one day to avoid school’ - Farmer on being dyslexic at school

Farmer Ned Deering has been coping with dyslexia all his life - he just didn't know it. It wasn't until six years ago, at the age of 58, that the then tillage farmer and cattle haulier was diagnosed with a severe form of the learning disability.

For many farmers, the steady drive towards automation, with computers replacing clerks in banks, business conducted online - not to mention the rising load of paperwork - has left them struggling to adapt.

For Ned, the struggle just became too much as he felt he couldn't cope with the increasing "red tape" and regulations surrounding the farming schemes and subsidies.

Now, the Carlow man has become a strong campaigner for improved access and information for those with learning disabilities after he retired from farming with most of his 200ac tillage farm set and a small portion sold off.

"At the time, there was no paperwork involved in it," he says of the era when he first started working on the family's then dairy farm in Rathvilly at the age of 13.

"Once I had my hands and was able to work, there were no issues. It is the nature of the work. It's the same in other jobs as well - fishermen, truck drivers, taxi drivers, jockeys, lads working on the roadside in county councils, those in building," he says, adding that those type of jobs had, in the past, often attracted those with learning difficulties.

During his school days, Ned says he was often subjected to punishment in class as he couldn't follow the course work. At one stage he got a number of teeth pulled out as it meant days off school.

He knew he was illiterate as he faced difficulties with reading and writing all his life, but he had come up with coping strategies to get through the day and make the farm work.

Figures

He used to place stones in his pocket to mark every 50 paces as he measured a field as he had difficulty remembering the larger figures. Out delivering cattle, Ned turned to a voice recorder to remember the numbers of the animals he had to take off the lorry.

"I was going to meetings with Teagasc and I wasn't even getting a quarter of the meeting," he says. "The paperwork was growing and I changed my farming then as I wasn't able to cope with it," he says, adding he decided to get out of cattle altogether.

"For luck, I never had an inspection. I always knew there was a possibility of having an inspection. I then changed over to tillage as I thought it would be simpler. It was simpler in the beginning and Teagasc filled in my forms and I'd sign it."

He joined the REPS scheme and in 2010, about a year into it, he had an unannounced inspection for cross compliance and the environmental scheme.

There were a few issues with the REPS plan and he was fined around €2,000 from his payment.

Ned explains that the "shock threw him" as he became anxious that he'd let people down. His family insisted that he get help and it was suggested he get assessed for dyslexia.

The Dyslexia Association of Ireland says the condition makes it hard for some people to learn to read, write and spell correctly and affects around 10pc of the population to some degree. Ned says when he heard the common signs of dyslexia, he realised he had every one of them.

He remembers breaking out in a cold sweat at the assessment but the assessor put him at ease.

"There was a page with ladders and all sorts on it. There were three mice on the page and I was to see how quick could I find them - I always remember I couldn't find the little third one. Then she put me reading very slowly and that got more difficult," he says.

"She says to me 'there is no doubt about it, but you have dyslexia'."

After asking him why he had left it so late in life to be assessed, Ned explained about the inspection. "She says: 'Will you ring the Department and ask them have they it in a version other than written to accommodate someone who has dyslexia.'" Ned lodged an oral appeal on the basis of his learning disability, but the appeal was rejected.

However, he has drawn on his experience to campaign for more awareness of the difficulties people with learning disabilities face when dealing with forms and officialdom in the public and private sectors.

With the assistance of MEP Brian Crowley and his staff, Ned is now bringing a petition to the European Parliament on the problems people with disabilities face in accessing information from the State authorities in Ireland. Ned says he'd like to see more services made more accessible through tools such as CDs for all the compliance booklets.

After several radio interviews about his campaign, Ned said he was contacted by many people with similar experiences who had felt there was too much stigma attached to speak out.

"Don't write us off," says Ned. He adds that many people with dyslexia and other learning issues were successful in their working lives and had many talents.

"It may be too late for me, but for the next generation I'd like to make it easier for them."

Department access officers co-ordinate disability services

The Department of Agriculture says it "aims to ensure that the needs of all its customers, including people with disabilities, are met and that the rights of equal treatment are upheld in the delivery of services".

"The Department has appointed two Access Officers who are responsible for providing or arranging for, and co-ordinating assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities accessing services provided by offices. These officers generally act as a point of contact for people wishing to access such services."

Recently, a copy of the 'Explanatory Handbook for Cross Compliance Requirements' has been produced in audio format.

A full translation of the Cross Compliance Handbook in audio format will shortly be posted on the Department's website. Material is provided in a large print format when required. The 'Browsealoud' facility is also available on the Department's website for the benefit of people with reading difficulties.

A 2011 OECD study found one in six Irish adults has difficulty understanding written text, while one in four find it hard to do simple maths equations.

Paul Hennessy, Principal of Teagasc's Kildalton College, said around 12-15pc of students would be accessing learning supports, such as scribes or computer programmes to read documents.

"What is happening is that 25 to 30 years ago, people went through the school system without supports. Now they are diagnosed at primary level and have supports through secondary school," he said.