'I never saw it as a disability'

Facing an obstacle such as dyslexia may motivate students to achieve more than their peers, according to James Lloyd.

Mr Lloyd, 25, was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of ten. He received extra tuition in basic literacy and used a computer to complete his work at secondary school.

In 2002, he graduated with a 2:2 in entertainment industry management at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College.

"I think that if there is an obstacle in your way, you almost feel more empowered to overcome it, particularly if you are battling against yourself to get around it," Mr Lloyd said. "I never really thought of it as a disability, more a matter of being gifted in different areas, and there were other areas I struggled with."

Mr Lloyd said that using a computer rather than writing essays and the variety of lecture styles and assessment methods - including oral presentations - at Bucks Chilterns helped him.

He added: "I don't have a linear style of thinking. It doesn't mean that I don't understand a subject, just that I have a different thought process.

"There is a stigma and it is a case of people with dyslexia always challenging that stigma."