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Officials have been overwhelmed with pre launch support for the
newly formed Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand being
launched by The Hon Ruth Dyson at Cashmere Primary School in
Christchurch on Wednesday 29 November.
Advocating change to New Zealand’s education policy to
recognise dyslexia is a key goal of the newly formed Foundation
that will give a voice to over 70,000 children aged between 5
and 18 who struggle with
dyslexia
with no resources or funding.
Increasing the awareness, recognition, understanding and
acceptance of dyslexia as a way of thinking in New Zealand are
the primary aims of the new organisation Spokesperson Guy
Pope-Mayell said. |
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One of these
children may have dyslexia, can you tell
which one it could be? Dyslexia
doesn't mean you're not intelligent, it just
means your brain thinks differently.
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“We would like to have dyslexia recognised by the Ministry of
Education so that dyslexia assessment, learning opportunities
and resources can be made available to dyslexic learners
throughout every school in NZ.”
“Feedback from many people and organisations around New Zealand
interested in and affected by dyslexia has indicated the need
for a unified voice to call for change to the current status of
dyslexia in our community.”
Pope-Mayell said that the foundation has been overwhelmed with
pre-launch support and stressed what has been especially
encouraging has been the number of schools that have joined
prior to the official launch on Wednesday.
The Hon Ruth Dyson and three
dyslexic
school children will release 50 helium balloons to officially
launch the foundation. The 50 balloons represent 10% of the 500
people at the function which is the approximate percentage of
the population affected by dyslexia.
All the organisations, companies, individuals and groups that
are members of the Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand are
unified in their mission to have dyslexia recognised and
accepted throughout the New Zealand community and in our
education system as a way of thinking.
“The dyslexic mind thinks primarily in pictures and is actually
many times faster and can offer many advantages over thinking
with the sounds of words,” he said.
International statistics indicate that 4% of all children are
strongly
dyslexic with up to 10% of children being
dyslexic to some extent. Dyslexic’s commonly experience great
difficultly with reading writing, spelling and/or mathematical
symbols.
Cashmere Primary School has employed a very proactive approach
to dyslexia and Principal Jacqui Duncan says recognising
dyslexia in our education system is long overdue.
The Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand will provide a united
voice for dyslexic people through its website that is intended
to be the information portal and starting point for anyone
searching for information and solutions concerning dyslexia in
New Zealand.
The
Foundation will build bridges between everyone working with and
supporting dyslexic children and adults including parents,
carers, schools, teachers and educators, dyslexia solution
providers, private training organisations, central Government
organisations and the Ministry of Education, social support
agencies, community groups, the health & justice system, and
information and resource providers.
To assist the foundation achieve this it has launched a new
website -www.dyslexiafoundation.org.nz
- that outlines goals, invites (free) membership and provides
the opportunity for organisations and individuals to show their
support for dyslexic children and adults.
Popular New Zealand award winning band Everymore have agreed
that their new single, Light Surrounding You, can be used as the
theme song for the New Zealand Dyslexia Foundation.
Pope-Mayell said the chart topping single’s lyrics and ‘soul’
connected emotionally with the foundation and its objectives.
There are many successful and famous people who are dyslexic.
They include Tom Cruise, New Zealand’s Weta Workshop’s Richard
Taylor and Virgin high flyer Richard Branson.
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