Every week, dozens of parents and caregivers across the country reach out to Dyslexia Canada to ask how they can better support their child with dyslexia. They seek information about a variety of topics such as screening tools, diagnosis and education plans. They ask for advice on how to communicate with their child’s teacher and how to access services in their region.
Through its Community Connections peer-to-peer support program, the Dyslexia Canada team and two dozen active volunteers aim to support as many parents and caregivers as possible. There are over 230 members enrolled in the program, funded by the McGraw Family Foundation, which allows participants to connect with one another, share experiences, and support each other.
Tailored services for parents with different needs
Participants looking for ongoing support can ask to be matched with one of our volunteer supporters for ongoing support. Most of them are the parents of caregivers of a child with dyslexia and they have offered to share their experience with others. Mentorship is often beneficial for all involved. For example, we were contacted by a child’s grandfather who said: “Getting my granddaughter involved with the help of your organization is going to make a real change in her life. My interactions with the Volunteer Supporter were quite valuable. We now have found a tutor and are moving on to other concerns. I certainly feel at liberty to get back to the Volunteer Supporter if necessary.”
Other parents and caregivers prefer to engage on the private discussion board (there were over 160 posts in the last year) to ask the community for advice or recommendations for a particular service such as a tutor or psychologist for an assessment. The staff and volunteers of Dyslexia Canada have also responded to 175 emails and phone enquiries in 2022. About a third of the users send follow-up questions, attend group sessions and sign up for the mentorship program.
Finally, some parents and caregivers prefer to meet others in an informal setting and opt to join Dyslexia monthly virtual peer support drop-in group sessions. All parents and caregivers who reach out to Dyslexia Canada in a given month are sent an invitation to participate in the monthly virtual meeting in an effort to build a lasting relationship with those who are seeking support.
The Dyslexia Canada team is there when parents and caregivers need them the most. A child’s mother expressed: “The team at Dyslexia Canada is outstanding and beyond helpful. I am forever grateful for the support that I was offered, without it I would have been pretty lost. Because of my team my fight still goes on, because of my team I feel heard and seen and I know that my son is being fought for by others who know and believe there are more ways to learn than just one way.”
If you are a parent or a caregiver, or if you want to volunteer for Dyslexia Canada, don’t hesitate to sign up for Community Connections.
New projects in the works
In 2023, the Dyslexia Canada team will be working on building a series of resources and tools for Canadian parents of children with dyslexia, notably an extensive database of all dyslexia-related resources available in each of the provinces and territories. We are looking for more volunteers to contribute to this project and others. If you are interested, please send an email to programs@dyslexiacanada.org. For more statistics about our Community Connections program, please consult our 2022 Annual Report.