Tools for Dyslexic Readers, Struggling Readers, and Emerging Readers
Dyslexia is The leading cause of illiteracy
Dyslexia is the leading cause of illiteracy, which is a problem that costs society more than $1 trillion per year worldwide. Domestically, it costs the US over $300 billion.
The Economic and Social Cost of Illiteracy, World Literacy Foundation, September 2022
This study gauges the cost of illiteracy upon society in terms of social categories.
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) estimates that as much as 20% of the 340,000,000 U.S. population, and the 8.2 billion worldwide population have symptoms of dyslexia.
The IDA reports that while 20% of students have a form of dyslexia, only about 6% of dyslexics in public schools have been diagnosed and getting intervention for this learning disability. This figure is getting larger as more and more educators are gaining an understanding about dyslexia.
The International Dyslexia Association - Dyslexia Basics. The IDA is a non-profit education and advocacy organization devoted to issues surrounding dyslexia. It is known worldwide as the leading voice for advocacy and intelligence about dyslexia.
Dyslexia Contributes to Incarceration Problems
Illiteracy is one of the most important concerns in the world today, and dyslexia is a major contributor to that problem. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare.
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy is a nationally representative assessment of English literacy among American adults ages 16 and older which was sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). And, according to Stephen Straus, from an article published in Impact Dyslexia, 48% of people in jail are dyslexic.
Impact Dyslexia is a committed group of successful dyslexics, parents of dyslexics, and educational leaders who have come together to create bold solutions to the dyslexia crisis and empower the gift of dyslexia.
Dyslexia can be a Blessing
Dyslexic people are usually very intelligent. As most people think linearly using letters (symbols) to form thoughts, dyslexics think spatially utilizing pictures in their minds to form thoughts. Some of the most innovative people in history have been dyslexic. Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Leonardo da Vinci, and Pablo Picasso possessed some of the greatest minds and talents in history, and they were dyslexic.
Teaching dyslexic people to read is a noble pursuit which will help move society forward as well as assuaging the anxiety of many young people who are struggling to learn to read.