Providing Learning Support for Students with Hidden Disabilities and Dyslexia Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities

Dyslexia and Other Hidden Disabilities

Fieldwork barriers facing these students

The category of other hidden disabilities is so wide and varied, that it is not possible to identify a shared set of problems which such students might all encounter as a result of fieldwork. The items listed below therefore do no more than illustrate the kinds of circumstances and problems which could inflame an existing hidden condition. The detailed symptoms and some appropriate courses of action for each individual condition are set out in the tables in the section on How to Support Students with Other Hidden Disabilities. The very general list below, however, serves as a reminder of the kinds of circumstances sometimes encountered on fieldtrips which might (albeit rarely) carry medical implications:

• climatic extremes
• heavy exercise
• allergen e.g. pollen
• lack of food
• difficult terrain
• long working hours
• new social contexts
• shared accommodation
• lack of special dietary arrangements
• distance from expert medical care.