Sir Jackie Stewart hails university dyslexia post

Published on Tuesday 13 December 2005 00:51

SIR Jackie Stewart, the motor racing legend, launched a world first for Scotland yesterday with the setting up of a professorship in dyslexia and other learning disabilities.

Sir Jackie, who is dyslexic, joined Jack McConnell, the First Minister, at Aberdeen University where the pioneering post will train teachers to help young people with the problems.

The Chair of Inclusive Studies is receiving 1.4 million in funding from the Executive and will include posts for a senior lecturer and researcher as well as a professorship.

Sir Jackie, 66, who was not diagnosed with dyslexia until he was 42, said he believed that there was no other facility of this kind in the world.

"This will be an example to the rest of the United Kingdom, as well as the rest of the world, of how we must go about looking after the 10 per cent of our population who might otherwise never reach their true potential," he said.