The AltFormat Story Competition 2007
Read the report from the 2007 Story Competition and meet our winners.
Nine dyslexic students from across the UK meet Sir Steve Redgrave
Congratulations to our nine winning students, who were placed 1st 2nd and 3rd in the 3 age categories of the Altformat Story Competition. Out of the hundreds of excellent entries we received, our top nine students were awarded their places on the creative content of their stories, and not on the grammar and punctuation. Reading their stories its clear this was a liberating experience, as their imaginations have quite simply gone wild!
Each of the students received their award from five times Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave, and thousands of pounds of Alternative format software for their school from competition sponsors Dolphin Computer Access. Sir Steve also presented a copy of his preferred reading and writing software, Dolphin EasyTutor to each of the winning students, and all this happened in the prestigious setting of the House Of Commons.
Hosted by Labour MP Mike Foster and joined by Jim Knight MP Minister of State for Schools and Learners, to name but a few, the prize giving also served to address the real core issues of Altformat campaign. Teaming together with leaders of Dyslexia Action, British Dyslexia Association, Adult Dyslexia Organisation, Perkins, RNIB, SightSavers International and others, Noel Duffy Chairman of Altformat and Sir Steve Redgrave pressed home the campaign key messages to the many attending MPs.
The print disabled Group accounts for more than twenty percent of the population. They are the group best represented in all the worst stats: school failures, unemployment and overflowing prisons.
After the age of seven, children switch from learning to read to reading to learn. However children over seven, in the bottom ten percent of readers, will only read 8,000 words a year compared to a child in the top ten percent of readers who will read 1.8m words a year. In other words it will take the poor reader six months to read what the good reader will read in one day.
Studies have shown that if you give poor readers their curriculum material as combined audio and text their exam scores will improve by 40%. Despite this, 89% of dyslexic school goers in the UK today don’t know they have an entitlement to alternative formats under the disability act. Part of the problem is funding.
There is a failure in the assessment process because there’s no specific pot of money to fund this.
The Right to Read Alliance and RNIB have made great progress with the DTI and the publishers to move forward on the production of electronic files. From these electronic files alternative formats can easily be produced. A pilot is due later this year. This is a very exciting and important development.
Earlier this year, Dolphin launched its file conversion software EasyConverter to easily create Braille, large print, audio and digital talking books from almost any file source. This means that schools, universities, libraries, employers can now make their organizations compliant with the DDA and the DED.
To learn more about alternative formats and in particular electronic files, visit the RNIB's Book Expansion report. This describes how alternative formats can be achieved with the help of electronic files. Supporters of Altformat believe this has the potential to be applied to the entire print disabled spectrum - all 20% of students with sight problems, dyslexia and with other reading problems. You can meet the winners and read their winning enties below.
Years 3-6
Theme: You find a strange box on the beach and open it. Describe what happens next?
1st Place: Congratulations to Emily Birch from the Grange Junior School
Read Emily's winning story 
2nd Place: Ciaran Hickman-Hale from St. Kenelms Primary
Read Ciaran's winning story
3rd Place: Joe Catford from East Court School
Read Joe's winning story
Years 7-9
Theme: You are ruler of your own country for a week. Describe what would you do?
1st Place: Bradley Lowe from Oakwood Park Grammar
Read Bradley's winning story
2nd Place: Emily Murray from East Court School
Read Emily's winning story
3rd Place: Harry Vardigans from East Court School
Read Harry's winning story
Years 10-11
Theme: If you were Prime Minister for the day, describe what would be your priorities?
1st Place: Samuel Williams from Bognor Regis Community College.
Read Sam's winning entry
2nd Place: Joe MacLachlan from The Grange Junior School
Read Joe's winning story
3rd Place: Sophie Bickle from Bognor Regis Community College
(Award collected by Haley Baker and Tyron Thompson)
Read Sophie's winning story
Interested in entering the Altformat Story Competition for 2008? Sign up for the Altformat newsletter to register you or your school to hear more when we make the 2008 announcement.
The altformat story competition, sponsored by:
