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Workplace Conference: Wednesday 21st April 2010

A Different, Disabled or Difficult worker?

Do you have challenging colleagues or customers?

• Does a colleague persistently cut across you in meetings to make 'only one important point' and then ramble off at a tangent?
• Has your boss read all the books but is still disorganised and can't prioritize or delegate?
• Got a team member who has great ideas but seems to find it impossible to follow instructions and delivers just in time, if then?
• Found customers who don't seem capable of filling out a simple form or explaining clearly what the problem is?

Have you considered whether they might have a 'hidden' Specific Processing and Learning Difference (SPLD)?

The DANDA WORKPLACE Conference will give you another perspective on these behaviours in the workplace and how to manage them; and will help you to meet your obligations under equality legislation.

Why should I attend?

Many employers and service providers do not realise just how many of the people they deal with in the workplace - both colleagues and customers - may have Specific Processing and Learning Differences or are 'Neuro-diverse' (ND). NDs constitute a significant number of the population and because of the 'hidden' nature of their differences they can in equal measure, perplex, delight and challenge their employers and colleagues in the workplace.

Many ND people themselves are unaware of the underlying reasons for their behaviour, frustrations and lack of progress at work.

This conference has a practical focus and will enable you to:

• Understand what Neuro-diversity is.
• Appreciate the impact on individuals of conditions such as Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder, Dyslexia and Asperger's Syndrome.
• Understand how these conditions can manifest in the workplace.
• Develop strategies for managing ND differences and talents to best effect whatever the role or level of work experience.
• Develop workplace policies and practices that accommodate NDs at all levels of the organisation.
• Apply similar strategies to customer service training and delivery.
• Help meet your obligations under equality legislation including accessibility.

Speakers Keynote address from Jo Todd of Key4Learning

Jo offers expert insights and practical advice on managing neuro-diversity in the workplace. Her successful 'whole organisation approach' has been tailored to meet the varied needs of clients both overseas and in the UK including large commercial organisations, Government Departments such as the Cabinet Office, Public Services, Education and small businesses.

Other speakers will include representatives from Human Resources Equality & Human Rights Commission ACAS Trades Union and individuals with personal experience of these conditions.

Venue

J Sainsbury plc
33 Holborn
London EC1N 2HT (nearest underground Chancery Lane)
Sainsbury's has kindly donated the use of their auditorium to DANDA for this event.

Conference Fee

£95.00 or £75.00 for DANDA members and Associate Members

To book download booking form (link below), contact info@danda.org.uk or telephone 0207 435 7891

An unprecedented project into the implications of dyslexia in dance.

An investigation into its creative possibilities.

The Project

What?! is an unprecedented creative research into the implications of dyslexia in dance training and performance. 4 dyslexic professional dancers will work during 9 days in the creation of a piece of work based on choreographer Ji Park's movement material. During the creative process the dancers will be interpreting the movement presented according to their aural, visual, kinaesthetic or spatial learning preferences. They will be investigating the strategies and analysis they put in place in order to remember the material and will incorporate their interpretation into the dance, 'deforming' the original sequence. A sequence of movement could be stripped down to its rhythm, to the direction and shapes it draws in the space, to the energy qualities of the movements or to a plain definition of its main components. The dancers will be paying attention to how they 'hear', 'see' and 'sense' the movements and how this informs their dance practice in order to define strategies that can accommodate their preferences. It is a reversed process. The focus has been moved away from 'getting it right' to 'what you can remember and why'.

What?! The Dance

'Chinese Whispers' in dance. Misinterpretation or reinterpretation? Generating confusion or generating ideas? A dancer is shown a movement phrase then she will present her understanding of it to the next and so the phrase passes down the line. All phrases that the dancers come up with dictate the choreography finally edited by Ji. Variations that arise from a different attention to detail are not perceived as errors that need fixing but rather as an insight into the dancers' information decoding preferences.

People Dancers:

Nick Lawson holds a BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance (2005 London Contemporary Dance School) and also a postgraduate with Edge (2006 The Place Postgraduate performance company). He has danced for Jose Vidal, h2dance, Marc Brew and Hofesh Shechter.

Aurore-Marie Facundo holds a DEUG d'Arts du Spectacle (1999 Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique, Montpellier) and is a graduate in Dance Performance (2005 Middlesex University). She has danced for film (Plan B screened at The Place) and has worked with Alesandra Seutin, Malcom Frederic and Philine Janssens.

Angharad Harrop holds a 1st Class BA (Hons) Dance (2008 De Monfort University, Frank May Prize). She has been involved in research in improvisation and multimedia software in performance. She has worked Kirstie Simson, Lê Quan Ninh, Femke Van Gent and Carlos Cortes

Elizabeth Giles holds a BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance (2008 London Contemporary Dance School) and is currently studying MA Choreography (London Contemporary Dance School). She has danced works by Katie Green, Richard Alston, Zoi Dimitriou and Martin Lawrence.

Choreographer: Ji Park is a graduate of Traditional Korean Dance (1997 University of Se Jong) and holds a BA (Hons) Theatre Arts (2007 Northbrook College/University of Brighton). Her work has been presented at The Korean World Dance Festival, Best Choreographer Festival, Je-Ju Beach Festival, Keo chang Festival, Resolution! 2004&05 at The Place in London, Bali Kaka Festival in Indonesia, Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan and Lisbon Festival in Portugal.

Director: Ana Fernandez holds a 1st Class BA (Hons) Theatre Arts (2007 Northbrook College/University of Brighton) and is a qualified dance teacher (2008 Northbrook College/University of Brighton). Ana has done previous research on the implications of dyslexia in the acquisition of dance technique within an educational environment. Her work is based on improvisation and collaboration with musicians and dancers (Echo Sound Design, Ty Jeffries, Eva Recacha, Hamilton Yarns)

Documentarian: Antonio Ruiz is currently studying a BA Film and Media at Sussex University. He is exploring visual arts from both factual and fictional approaches, focusing mainly on dance and performance.

I am seeking between two and five dyslexic artists or scientists who would be willing to talk about how dyslexia has affected their creativity.

The interviews will be published in a book on 'dyslexia and creativity/visual-spatial skill' in 2009.

The interviews will be used along with research on dyslexia and creativity. Other chapters are being written by artists and academic researchers

If you know anyone interested please can you ask them to contact me on

07740 422095 or email me at

neil.alexander-passeinghams.co.uk.

• They will need to provide proof of their dyslexia diagnosis,

• The interviews will take place over the phone

• The Interviews will last between 1-2 hours..

• I will pay any telephone costs.

•They may also show some of their art/creations by their interview.

My name is Neil Alexander-Passe, I am dyslexic myself, a post-graduate and a published researcher. Please check out my links below to confirm my publishing status. I have also given research papers at the last two BDA conferences.

I am the editor of a new series of books on dyslexia (from the large American Publisher 'Nova publishers' www.novapublisher.com), looking at several issues which have been under-researched in the past.

The book I am writing to you about is concerned with researching the links between dyslexia and creativity/visual-spatial skills, in both art/design and the world of business/science.

This is a serious academic book which aims to discuss the issues involved and will be peer-reviewed, thus all abstracts will be read and commented by others in the field to their suitability. Final chapters will be read and commented on by other experts in the field to its suitability. Help with spelling, sentence structure and grammar will be given, if required.

I am looking for possible chapter authors who are able to write either:
(1) About their own research in the field of creativity/visual-spatial ability
OR

(2) Are able to describe their own creative processes and how dyslexia impact on it (in art/design/business/science etc). You may also be able to show some of your artwork if relevant, if it is in black/white/greyscale.

If you are interested in such a project, please email me at

(neil.alexander-passe@inghams.co.uk) with the type of chapter you would be happy to write (150-400 word descriptions please) and approximately how long you believe your chapter might end up being. Research chapters will thus be longer than personal accounts.

Thank you

Neil Alexander-Passe 07740 422095

PS Please email me or phone me if you wish to discuss this email, I'm more than happy to chat about possible submissions.

Final chapters can be anything from 1,000 words to 40,000 words.

Abstract will be required by 10th November 2008, approved in December 2008, final chapters submitted by March/April 2009.

Matthew Durran

Matt's has been in Russia where he has an exhibition at the M'ars Gallery.

He writes:- "Very interesting city. Moscow. Powerful artists with power.
The gallery M'ars is a large space in the centre of Moscow.

In a mixed media show with two artists I was showing art glass installation, large colour photograms and a film called "The Blessed Factory".