Dyslexia is a neurological education condition that affects around 10% of the UK population.

Those with dyslexia can experience difficulty with reading, expressing thoughts, writing and spelling. Despite these frustrations those with dyslexia are no less capable than others. For example, Richard Branson struggled at school due to his dyslexia and dropped out of school at 16, which was a decision that ultimately led to the creation of Virgin records and he is now estimated to be worth £3 billion. Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, John F Kennedy, George Washington, George W Bush, Steven Spielberg and Holly Willoughby, all but to name a few, experienced and are experiencing the frustrations of dyslexia. However, it is clear to see, especially with their impressive portfolios, that having dyslexia does not hinder your ability to be successful. In order to promote the success of these individuals, as well as to raise awareness for the learning disability, national Dyslexia Awareness Week was created.

As an individual who has dyslexia, to celebrate the week from the 1st -7th October, I presented an assembly to the school, highlighting what dyslexia is and how it affects individuals, as well as how others can support their peers with a learning disability, whilst also introducing our schools new Dyslexia council which I am chairing. Through the years I have seen the evolution of dyslexia awareness week assemblies, and something that I have become aware of, especially after speaking to other dyslexic students is that; as I did above, listing successful individuals with dyslexia only has a limited impact, as thankfully in our contemporary society being successful and having dyslexia is not such a rare and unimaginable idea, in fact, it’s becoming the norm as it is for individuals without a learning disability. Therefore, I came up with the idea of creating a dyslexia council to speak to dyslexic students on how the school can further help them to become one of the many successful dyslexic individuals by reaching their full potential.

These meetings will be held once a term where me and my peer Georgia, who is also a student in year 13 who has dyslexia, will meet with dyslexic students, particularly those from younger years to discuss ideas and strategies to further support their learning needs. Georgia and I will then meet with a member of the Senior Leadership Team to then discuss how we can put some of these suggestions into action.

Through Dyslexia Awareness Week, I hope that I have inspired individuals with dyslexia to not let their disability hinder their dreams or academic performance.