Chennai: Dyslexia, otherwise known as Specific Learning Disability, is prevalent amongst one in every six school going children.Madras Dyslexia Association has been striving to help dyslexic children by providing remediation techniques through part time and full time remediation centres, resource rooms, training programmes both in class and online and with assistive devices.
Government of India has included dyslexia under The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 which offers numerous concessions for children for appearing in public examinations of various boards in India. However, there is limited knowledge and understanding of these special provisions among parents, schools and even educational authorities.
In order to provide a deeper understanding, MDA organised a Symposium on ‘Concessions and Exemptions for Specific Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia)’.
Speaking at the symposium, Chief Guest Dr .Jayanthi Narayan, former Deputy Director, NIMH, Secundarabad, reiterated the importance of the role of a qualified special educator and their vital role in identifying a child with a learning difficulty and designing a suitable intervention programme.
This should be available in all schools to support regular teachers, she said, adding that a flexible curriculum, use of universal design for learning and differentiated instruction are vitally important while an inclusive education will provide the right environment for these children to realise their potential.
Dr Smita Desai, Director Drishti, Mumbai, Ms Nidhya Guhan, Correspondent, AVM Group of Schools, Ms Kiran Merchant, Principal, APL Global School, Ms Arunima Mazumdar, Deputy Secretary, CBSE Controller of Examinations Chennai, Dr Uthra Dorairajan, Head of Dept, Physics, D G Vaishnav College , Ms Omana Thomas, Principal, Sishya School , Mrs . Vijaylakshmi Raman, PSBB Schools also addressed the symposium, which was attended by parents with children who have dyslexia, schools, administrators, counsellors and special educators.
