The International Dyslexia Association or IDA is a non-profit organization who dedicates their time to studying and learning about treatments for dyslexia. There members are from all around the world from the U.S. to Brazil and beyond to the Middle East.
The purpose of IDA is to help anyone interested about the learning disability of dyslexia. They offer information and referral services, research, and act as an advocate for any person suffering from a learning disability.
Besides being an advocate, the IDA holds conferences throughout the year to gather all their members and share their findings about all learning disabilities. Funding is collected for more research concerning the neurological, educational, and developmental issues of any person suffering from dyslexia.
In the works, the IDA is working on helping individuals legally in many states as acting as their advocate, as well as developing a plan to set services for testing, tutoring, remedial instruction, and support.
The main reason for the IDA’s existence comes from Dr. Samuel T. Orton’s research concerning a dyslexic’s mind and the teachings of Anna Gillingham. Due to these great individuals, the Orton Gillingham method was discovered when teaching a dyslexic. The neurological findings by Dr. Orton showed a difference in the brain waves.
Many people still think dyslexia is not a true learning disability and the IDA continues its efforts in fighting for the rights of children who show signs of dyslexia. Children with dyslexia may be called lazy, stupid, or incapable of learning. All these statements are untrue. With some time, patience, research, and effort, learning what dyslexia is all about can make a failing student into a passing student.
Learning the techniques to teach a dyslexic mind brings a huge success to the student and the teacher. The student’s self-esteem rises and their understanding of subject matters increases. Everyone can learn, we just all learn in different ways.