Posted on September 22 2022

The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) is celebrating Dyslexia Awareness Week with the theme of ‘Breaking Through Barriers’ in just under two weeks. The theme looks at how those living with dyslexia have overcome obstacles in their lives, this could be during education, work or general day-to-day living. The week will run between 03-09 October.

Dyslexia influences at least 1 in 10 people and is a genetic difference in an individual’s ability to learn and process information. Over 6 million individuals in the UK have dyslexia and may not have received a diagnosis. Despite its commonality it is often hidden and those living with dyslexia make countless compromises to ‘fit in’ to a neurotypical society.

If a child isn’t diagnosed in their formative years (0 – 8 years) and does not receive the support they need the impact can be lifelong. Through the BDA digital channels we hear about the barriers that children face in school due to lack of support and understanding of dyslexia, and we know that older people share their stories about the trauma of their own education and being labelled disruptive or even stupid.

During Dyslexia Awareness week we are shining a light on barriers that exist and are being overcome through the voices and lived-experience of individuals with dyslexia.

Throughout the week we will be sharing the stories of some well-known individuals including BBC Dragon’s Den entrepreneur, Theo Paphitis. Theo shared with the BDA: “I can safely say that I wouldn’t be where I am if I weren’t dyslexic because it’s given me this ability to problem-solve, and throughout my journey, I’ve come to realise that it’s not just me saying this - many others gain huge value from the differentiation that dyslexia gives them.”

We are delighted to have filmed a short video with Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off star, Lizzie Acker. Lizzie candidly shares why she decided to share that she was dyslexic on national television. Lizzie said “I think Dyslexia Awareness Week is so important because dyslexia is still surrounded by a load of really negative stereotypes like, ‘you’re thick’, ‘you’re lazy’ and it all needs to change.

“These [thoughts] are only going to change by awareness and it becoming more normalised and people talking about it more and people just knowing more about it!”

We will also be hosting two free webinars, Supporting Spellings and Times Tables and Resources and Approaches for Teachers. These webinars are accessible from home and aim to give an insight into dyslexia supportive techniques from industry-leading professionals.

The British Dyslexia Association is also excited to launch a new ambassador with a special short film about how they have demonstrated breaking through barriers with their thriving entrepreneurial business. Other BDA ambassadors will be on hand throughout the week also sharing the barriers they have faced and how they stay motivated.

Finally, we are excited to announce that the BDA is charity partner for the UK release of the award-winning film, ‘Confetti’. Set for release in UK cinemas on 21st October, 'CONFETTI' is a very special film. It's an empowering and uplifting story of one family’s journey with dyslexia and is even more remarkable for the fact that it's based on the life and experiences of the film's director and writer Ann Hu. You will hear more about this in the press and media during awareness week.

There will be much more to stay tuned in with throughout the week and we look forward to sharing the stories of our community. We are particularly interested in hearing individual stories and encourage those with dyslexia to share and inspire others online. You can get involved in the conversation across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn with the #DAW22. We will be re-sharing as many empowering stories about how people have broken through barriers throughout.

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