October is International Dyslexia Awareness Month and this week (3rd to the 9th October 2022) here in the UK is Dyslexia Awareness Week.
What does this mean and why is it important and how is Aventido getting involved?
Why raise awareness about Dyslexia?
The British Dyslexia Association estimates that 10% of the UK population is Dyslexic with 4% severely so.
10% of the population is living with a way of thinking that is nicely summarised by the British Dyslexia Association in the following way:
“Dyslexia is a learning difficulty which primarily affects reading and writing skills. However, it does not only affect these skills. Dyslexia is actually about information processing. Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills.
It is important to remember that there are positives to thinking differently. Many dyslexic people show strengths in areas such as reasoning and in visual and creative fields.”
Whilst described as a ‘learning difficulty’ it is also very misunderstood in terms of the strengths that come from being a dyslexic thinker and there are some amazing people who have literally changed the world with their way of thinking and working as they contribute to society. For example, it is believed that about 40% of our most successful business people are dyslexic, with people such as Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver and Theo Paphitis being some very high-profile examples.
Dyslexic thinkers work and bring benefit in all aspects of society when they have what they need in order to be able to function at their best, but so often within the Education System as well as within the workplace, dyslexic thinkers are expected to function by playing to their weaknesses and as a result, this can cause challenges with performance, attainment, productivity as well as mental wellbeing. Often this situation happens due to ignorance about dyslexia.
It is amazing really that across society there really is little understanding about the strengths and weaknesses that come with being a dyslexic thinker.
Something needs to be done...
Dyslexia Awareness Week and International Dyslexia Awareness Month.
For a number of years, October has been chosen to be International Dyslexia Awareness Month with the first week, here in the UK, being Dyslexia Awareness week.
Throughout October, all over the world, the dyslexia community is raising awareness about the strengths and weaknesses that come from being a dyslexic thinker. The community aims to create more understanding and make available increased support in those places in society where thinking with dyslexia can cause challenges such as within education and the workplace.
A very practical way of raising awareness is joining the Go Red For Dyslexia campaign which is growing in momentum year on year and uses the colour red. Red is a colour that for many is dreaded, as it is often used in schools to correct coursework by teachers bringing about unnecessary embarrassment and shame. Red, for some, has historically been a colour that has been seen to be a tool for criticism rather than for hope. The Go Red campaign seeks to reclaim the colour red by getting people to wear red and light up buildings in the colour red across the world so that it catches the attention of those who are not aware of dyslexia.
How is Aventido getting involved?
Aventido CEO, Antony Ruck said this about the Go Red campaign:
“Whilst Dyslexia is often seen as a disability within society, the reality is that individuals with dyslexia, when empowered, are often our society’s greatest visionaries, our entrepreneurs, our problem solvers, creatives, and best of all they often have the people skills to connect with us all in meaningful ways that brings about a positive impact on our lives. For me it is essential for all of us to be aware of dyslexia and encourage those who are dyslexic to be the best that they can be for the benefit of all.
At Aventido we are proud to support and be a part of the Go Red for Dyslexia Campaign.”
Here at Aventido, the team will be joining the Go Red campaign by changing all of our online content generated this month to red as well as telling all our webinar delegates about the Go Red campaign. You may even see our team wearing red throughout the month.
Want to know more about our webinars and events throughout this month? Click the banner below.
