This update is an open message to the author of an update posted on the counter petition yesterday. I send it to you with the best intentions.

When I use the word “sic” after any spelling & grammar mistakes when quoting your text in updates posted on your petition, I am trying to be courteous to you. I am posting your text verbatim, with zero changes.

“Sic” is Latin for “So” or “Thus”. It is used to denote that a grammatical error, mistake, or specific formatting in a quoted section is in the original quote and the quoted section is AS IT APPEARS in the original document. I am effectively saying “thus it was written.”

No offense is intended.

I am retired now, however my entire career was based solely in IT. I worked at The Scotsman newspaper for 10 years (hence the use of “sic”, invariably used in journalism), however the vast bulk of my career was spent in Higher Education, at two universities in Edinburgh.

For the last 15 years of my career, I supported students with disabilities at the two universities, as an Assistive Technology Advisor and DSA (Disabled Students Allowance) Needs Assessor. I supported students with a wide range of disabilities, including visual impairment, hearing impairment, mobility impairment, Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, ADD, dyspraxia, dyscalculia…and dyslexia. In fact, dyslexic students made up most of the registered disabled students.

After this, I worked freelance for myself, continuing to support disabled students in university and college, and disabled employees in the workplace.

So, I am well versed in coping strategies for someone with dyslexia, particularly the use of assistive technology.

Here is a quick list of assistive software that I would recommend you try:

Microsoft Word (yes, it is classed as assistive software, it is very good at highlighting probably spelling & grammar errors, and offering substitutes)

Texthelp Read & Write Gold (one of the most widely used pieces of assistive software)
https://www.texthelp.com/en-gb/

Grammarly (there is an excellent free version)
https://www.grammarly.com/

Dragon Naturally Speaking (this is fantastic, I use it myself, to narrate directly into Word. Sometimes it is easier to verbally narrate your thoughts, rather than trying to type them)
https://www.nuance.com/en-gb/dragon.html

Quillbot (free version available, spelling & grammar checking and text summarizer)
https://quillbot.com/

There are loads of pieces of assistive software like this, for all major devices and operating systems (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac etc).

If you want any further recommendations or advice, feel free to email me at noexercisingdogsincemeteries@gmail.com

Regards

Andy