October is all about pumpkins, beautiful leaves ...
And celebrating those who have dyslexia by raising awareness. October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, to be exact.
So, how can you get into the flow and help celebrate? Here are our top seven favorite ideas:
7. Change your social media profile picture
Changing your social media picture is perhaps the easiest change, and it makes a huge impact! Your friends will notice and maybe even join along.
We've created a ribbon for you to add to your profile for the month of October. Get it
here. Once you click to add the ribbon, a box will pop up allowing you to re-size it. You can also customize a message to be posted to your Facebook or Twitter along with your updated picture.
6. Print dyslexia fact sheets for your school, library or other public space.
Handouts are fabulous to post on public bulletin boards or leave on the desk in the school office for parents to pick up (always ask permission). Some dyslexia champions have even asked their public libraries to do a display for the month.
Handout Link
Library Display Information (via Decoding Dyslexia Oregon)
5. Share Dyslexia Facts
Our
YES! Ambassadors (student-to-student mentoring program) are sharing "31 Dyslexia Facts in 31 Days." Share their facts by visiting the
YES! Program Facebook page, or write your own fact.
Our brand new
Explore1in5.org website for students also has many videos and helpful tips you can share.
4. Attend a Dyslexia Awareness Event
There are tons of events going on this month! Thanks to an Alabama
mother and son team, people all over the world are asking their cities to light a building or bridge red in honor of dyslexia awareness month. Read the story
behind this movement (started by the non-profit Roundtable Solutions)
here, and then look for local
events.
Also, Learning Ally has several online and in-person
events taking place this month and beyond. Our
Spotlight on Dyslexia online conference, which takes place December 4, is also now open for registration!
3. Start a Conversation
Bring up dyslexia with family, friends, and co-workers. Many people who have dyslexia are unidentified, so this is a great way to reach others and possibly even help them better understand the struggles their own children may be facing. Read
this post by Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley on the topic (she's also one of our presenters at
Spotlight on Dyslexia).
2. Wear Red on October 15
Even if you can't attend an event, make sure to wear red on October 15th, which is
World Dyslexia Day. Upload your
photo to social media to show the world your support! To the right is a photo of Learning Ally's team from last year having fun celebrating the strengths and talents of our 1 in 5 students who struggle with print.
1. Give Back
Volunteer your time or money to an organization that helps people with print disabilities, like dyslexia.
Learning Ally is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit and can be supported in several ways, including
volunteering to read an audiobook or by making a
monetary donation to allow a child to access our services.