Dyslexia Canada, a national charity dedicated to ensuring every child with dyslexia in Canada receives a fair and equitable education, is marking October Dyslexia Awareness Month by sharing the stories of accomplished Canadians with dyslexia. While celebrating progress in driving systemic changes, the organization calls for urgent action to establish nationwide early screening.
"In just seven years, Dyslexia Canada has made incredible strides," says Alicia Smith, Executive Director, Dyslexia Canada. "Today, approximately half of Canadian children are screened for dyslexia - a remarkable milestone to celebrate. But our work is far from over. Canada needs mandatory early screening policies in every province and territory to ensure no student is left behind."
Throughout Dyslexia Awareness Month, Dyslexia Canada is inviting prominent Canadians with dyslexia to share their stories in a Mark it Read campaign podcast series. Their voices break the silence on dyslexia while highlighting the need for early screening.
Mark is Read is the official Canadian celebration for Dyslexia Awareness Month. October 1 marks the start of the organization's 7th annual national awareness-raising campaign. Each year across Canada, monuments and buildings are lit up red, schools and workplaces wear red, and cities and towns sign proclamations to officially declare the month of October as Dyslexia Awareness Month.
Some of the Mark it Read campaign participants include:
Dan Carter, mayor of Oshawa.
Dan Carter faced self-esteem issues, drug addiction and homelessness while struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia well into adulthood. At 31, he confronted his dyslexia and committed to turning his life around. With determination and support, Carter was able to recover from addiction, get off the streets and build a successful career. His advice to young people: "Don't lose hope! Embrace your differences, be honest, and amazing opportunities await."
John Fluevog, founder of Fluevog Shoes.
John Fluevog founded a well-known Canadian company that, for over 50 years, has been creating shoes doubling as art. Despite his struggles with reading and writing due to dyslexia, Fluevog includes messages on the soles of his shoes. "Being dyslexic, I have a problem with the form or structure of the language," says Fluevog. "But, in a way, I'm freer with language. I have my own form of grammar, and I think it's quite interesting because I'm seeing it from a different point of view and have the freedom to be able to do it."
David Eliot, University of Ottawa PhD candidate; Trudeau Foundation Scholar.
David Eliot, a PhD candidate in criminology at the University of Ottawa, has earned numerous awards for his research on artificial intelligence, surveillance and data economies. Diagnosed with dysgraphia in Grade 3, Eliot attributes much of his success to opportunities often denied to others with dyslexia. "People with this disability can succeed and often over-succeed when given the opportunities. Just look at all the people with dyslexia who have done amazing things in this world. It goes to show that our brains just work differently, but we need to be given the chance to show that."
Dyslexia is a learning disability that affects reading and writing. When not diagnosed early, it can severely impact a child's literacy development and lead to lifelong challenges, such as low confidence, unemployment, poverty, mental health issues, addiction, homelessness and involvement in crime. Early screening is critical to ensuring that the 750,000 Canadian students with dyslexia are properly identified and supported.
Quick facts & figures:
· 750,000 school-aged children and around 5 million adults in Canada have dyslexia.
· Between 30% and 45% of students finish Grade 3 without adequate reading skills.
· 70% of children who are not proficient readers by the end of Grade 3 struggle with literacy for the rest of their lives.
· As of September 2024, four provinces that are home to 51% of Canadian school-aged children screen students for dyslexia from kindergarten to Grade 2.
When Dyslexia Canada was founded in 2017, no province or territory had a universal screening policy. The organization expects that, by the 2024 - 2025 school year, 51% of children in kindergarten through Grade 2 will be screened. Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and British Columbia are each at different stages of implementing screening programs. Dyslexia Canada is actively supporting these efforts in various ways while urging other provinces to screen all children.
In April, Dyslexia Canada honoured the winners of the inaugural Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Awards recognizing leaders who make a meaningful difference in the lives of children with dyslexia.
Most recently, the organization played a key role in developing Ontario's universal screening program that launched in September.
"Supporting students with dyslexia requires urgent action," says Smith. "To expand universal screening policies across the country and give every child the chance to reach their full potential, we need stable multi-year funding. I urge more Canadian organizations to join us in this important work."
Those wishing to support the work of helping children with dyslexia can make a donation online at https://dyslexiacanada.org/en/donate.
All children from kindergarten to Grade 2 should be screened at least twice a year using evidence-based tools. Each screening takes just 5 to 10 minutes and can be conducted at school by a trained teacher or paraprofessional.
About Dyslexia Canada
Dyslexia Canada is a national charity whose mission is to ensure that there is a national voice and forum to advocate for all Canadian children with dyslexia. Dyslexia is the most common cause of reading difficulties, affecting 10%-20% of children. Partnering with professional organizations, experts and advocates, Dyslexia Canada strives to drive systemic change by engaging and educating the public and updating policies and practices to ensure that students with dyslexia are properly identified and supported.
