Dyslexia Awareness Month

Here’s what you should know about Dyslexia Awareness Month and the different organizations that work towards raising awareness about the condition.

Dyslexia Awareness Month takes place in October of every year. This is the ideal time to show advocacy for the condition, support those affected by this learning disability, and help them overcome learning differences.

What to know about Dyslexia Awareness Month

The International Dyslexia Association came up with the idea to celebrate dyslexia every October. The purpose is to support people affected by this learning difficulty.

A significant portion of the community treats dyslexia as a disorder. But in truth, it is a learning impairment that makes reading, writing, and spelling challenging. The intelligence levels of a dyslexic person are unaffected.

The misunderstanding about this condition has caused stigmas that Dyslexia Awareness Month strives to eradicate.

Other than raising awareness about the condition, Dyslexia Awareness Month also helps society learn more about dyslexia. This way, more of us can help those affected by it more efficiently.

Numerous events take place throughout October in different forms. Associations and organizations share resources with information with the civil society, employers, and teachers. You can expect to find a free webinar or an eBook about any dyslexia-related topic during this month.

The material informs readers about everything they should know regarding the condition, including the identification, issues related to it, and how people can accommodate dyslexics by making small adjustments to their lifestyles.

National dyslexia month gets plenty of attention in the media and continues to be the leading movement that helps better understand this condition.

Different organizations working to raise awareness about dyslexia

The Department of Education, different institutions, and companies form partnerships to work together and raise awareness of this language-based learning disability. These entities work towards problem-solving and come up with resources, events, software, and tools dyslexics and those working with them can use.

Speechify

Speechify is a desktop and mobile app that can read text aloud using a natural, human-like voice. It allows users to take a photo of a book, image, or document or simply copy-paste the text and have it read it out loud.

Both the free and premium versions of this software can make the life of a dyslexic person much easier. They can read without being overcome by the challenges imposed on them by their disability. Adults can be more efficient and get more tasks done, while high school students and children can read faster and be more productive.

Speechify is great for people of all ages, and it’s proven to be an effective reading tool for people with dyslexia, ADHD, and everyone who has trouble decoding words.

Dyslexiada.org

The International Dyslexia Association is the leading organization that strives to raise awareness and educate people about dyslexia. They publish a tri-annual peer-reviewed and interdisciplinary journal called Annals of Dyslexia. It features the latest practices in the remediation and intervention of dyslexia from a scientific point of view.

The IDA has numerous other publications striving to help people affected by dyslexia and those working in special education.

Teachers working with dyslexic people can benefit from IDA’s Dyslexia in the Classroom: What Every Teacher Needs to Know handbook. This booklet supports teachers working with public school students, teaches signs of dyslexia, presents classroom tools and strategies, and shares tips on the evaluation and diagnosis of the condition.

Dyslexicadvantage.org

Dyslexic Advantage is one of the most comprehensive resources for the dyslexic condition. The project started after a book with the same name was published and sold in over 100,000 copies.

The association also hosts online courses for teachers to help special education workers better understand the challenges of dyslexic students. They actively share educational resources with practical advice for anyone affected by this condition.

Dyslexiahelp.umich.edu

Dyslexia Help is a website created by the University of Michigan. The site strives to raise awareness about dyslexics and share valuable resources both for those affected by the condition, for their parents, and professionals.

Here you can read the latest research about the condition, get practical examples of how to set the stage for student literacy and boost a student’s reading skills, find fact sheets, and more.

This is a valuable website for everyone looking for website links, activities, and other resources for dyslexics.

Our founder’s story about triumph with dyslexia

Speechify founder, Cliff Weitzman, is a dyslexic who found a way to triumph over his condition. He spent years trying to read like his peers and be just as productive. When he learned that he was dyslexic, he was relieved. He felt happy that he wasn’t “broken,” or as lazy as people perceived him to be.

He would spend hours listening to audiobooks and had his parents read Harry Potter to him every night before bed.

But as he grew older, he realized that he couldn’t read emails, newsletters, and PDFs. Fortunately, he was mature enough to realize that he could change the situation for the better. That's when he started learning to code and work on a text to speech software that could read anything to him.

Four years later, Speechify was born. This software now helps millions of people like him function in society and school. Being able to “read” every piece of content that passes through a dyslexic’s hands without difficulties is the best thing that can happen to them.

And Cliff made it possible.

Cliff continues to raise awareness about his condition, and he’d love for many more people to join him. Even you. You can use the #dyslexiaawarenessmonth hashtag on your social media to spread awareness about dyslexia among your peers and co-workers.

FAQs

What color ribbon is for dyslexia?

Silver color ribbons are most often used to promote, educate, and express support for dyslexic people.

Is there a National Dyslexia Day?

Yes, National Dyslexia Day or World Dyslexia Day is held every year on October 8.

How do you celebrate Dyslexia Awareness Month?

During this month, you can get informed about the symptoms and signs of dyslexia, read books about the condition, share your support with the #dyslexiaawarenessmonth hashtag on social media, and donate to organizations that provide help for people affected by the learning disability.

What are some signs that you might have dyslexia?

Common dyslexia symptoms include difficulty learning new words, not forming words properly, reversing sounds in words, difficulty remembering numbers, colors, and letters, problems learning nursery rhymes, and late talking.

What is the best way to help someone with dyslexia?

Using tools that help dyslexic people overcome their reading difficulties will make their life much easier. Software such as Speechify can help anyone with a learning disability be more productive. It’s also important to give the person additional time to complete tasks so they don’t feel overwhelmed.

What is the most common type of dyslexia?

Phonological dyslexia is the most common type of dyslexia. This language-based learning disability impacts a person’s ability to match sounds and symbols and break down the sounds in a language. These people find it difficult to decode words.