How does dyslexia affect you at university?

I was diagnosed about 6 weeks ago and have a need assessment coming up.

I have severe dyslexia and I have worked my way through school and my a levels just fine (with a lot of hard work). I don't really see how university is different. Is it that difficult without the support.

There are people out there who are not diagnosed and are doing fine.

I understand how dyslexia can effect you but I'm just a bit worried if I take the help I will end up depending on it even after uni.

So how does dyslexia effect you? (what do you have problems with the most and what support did you have to overcome it)

My brain doesnt structure things as well as a "normal person" so writing essays I tend to notice that and just general organising my life. So for that I have allowances in everything I hand in so they can't mark me down too much for SPG and structuring.

How is that allowed? I have it on both my DSA recommendations and also the recommendations of my dyslexia test to mark work leniently on things like SPG, word count, structure etc similar to you. However the disability advisors at the uni have said they cant put that on my support plan and send it to my lectures because I am suppose to use all the different support I have so that my SPG word count, structure etc is all right.
This I am worried about and I don't think it's fair. I do not have anyone that can write stuff for me so it is spelt right, and grimmer right etc.. so how am I supposed to get it right? Unless I'm wrong and a proof reader can both read AND change any errors? But then they don't seem to want to give me that either so I'm kinda stuck.

As for the OP, I don't have all my support arranged yet, so I can't really say if it is helping and I need it or not. I defiantly need my study assistant (person in lessons with me, but that's more for something else than dyslexia I think) as I do not have any assessments yet the supports not really started, but I am meeting the people now so I can get to know them.

My only thought would be it is deffinatly better to get it anyway and then use it to try it. If you don't want it just say and stop it.
That is surly better than get to say Christmas, be really struggling and want it, then need to go through the assessment, and get it all approved and arranged could take a while and you will be struggling even more. So my advice is get everything you can now.

They mark it more but don't completely ignore it, sorry if it confused you. So say if I get a scientific word wrong I could get marked down but not on words that aren't related to the topic itself. Word count isn't something they can be lienient on but my support worker helps me on that and improving my structure

How did you get them to approve it to get that information to your teachers who mark it? I've been told they are not allowed to tell teachers anything like this.

How did you get them to approve it to get that information to your teachers who mark it? I've been told they are not allowed to tell teachers anything like this.

If I could have some say in what assistance I get, I'd would definitely get help. I don't want or need extra time on my exams and tests. I can do them in the same time as everyone else. I'm a fast reader and I don't have anymore problems writing than other people. I only struggle with oral presentations. Previous experience makes me reluctant to seek help.

You don't have to take the extra time if you don't need it. I (my situation is completely different) don't always need extra time. We sometimes had tests on a Thursday morning in a seminar / workshop and I didn't always need the extra time; so didn't take it.

I'd appreciate being given the choice to opt out of anything I don't feel I need. I feel a little better about going in on Monday to accessibility services. Thanks!

You can, at the needs assessment they show you all the options available to you but you are more than able to say I don't think I need that / it would help or I might need that in this situation but not in others and they will listen to it
But you may find help available that you didn't know you could get, E.g my sister has APD due to having a glue ear as a child and one thing it affected was her spelling, she couldn't hear the words correctly and so was making mistakes in spelling them, usually minor mistakes like spelling words how she thought they sounded. In school she was able to get a one to one tutor to help improve her spelling and universities can also provide this or they can simply send out a memo alerting the teachers someone in the class has APD and that they should be aware of where they face while talking

I was lucky to love reading as a kid. It came easily to me, as it was visual like sign language. Just more symbolism and took half the effort of listening. But a memo alerting my teachers to face forward during class would be fantastic!

I have congenital stenosis of the external auditory canal. Essentially, my ear canals are too narrow. This led to ear infections, wax build up and to cholesteatoma. I had surgery on my ear canal and another on my middle ear to take out the cholesteatoma.

It is a policy specific to my university so i didn't have to do anything to get it once i d declared my dyslexia, it was automatic.

My uni gives you stickers, you put the sticker on the cover sheet and it states that the pupil who wrote the assignment has dyslexia or another learning difficulty and that appropriate procedures should be followed when marking. the procedure booklet states things like ignoring spelling that isn't subject specific and giving leniency for homophones, punctuation ect.
For all pupils the cover sheet has an anonymous hand in number instead of your name so the teacher doesn't know who's work he's marking and although the teacher will know someone has a learning difficulty they won't know who, plus chances are they will have more than one piece of work handed in with the sticker on it