Thursday 11th June 2009 - Published by Lara Page - Account Manager
Dyslexia charity screening to offer relief to Birmingham people
Birmingham people concerned that they may suffer from dyslexia are being offered a screening service courtesy of the Dyslexia Association Birmingham to allay fears and enable sufferers to access support.
The basic screening process costs £50 and is suitable for both young people and adults.
Denny Manning, Charity Director said that the screenings would give reassurance to people in the city who feel that they may have the condition, and feel they are being held back at school or at work as a result.
Denny said that she and her colleague Chris Taylor set up DAB ten years ago, and since introducing the screening have seen a huge surge in interest in the charity.
She explained: "The screening for adults is different to that of the one given to young people. Both are done on a computer and can be done with the help of a reader if required, and both visual and audio are accommodated for.
"They last approximately 20 minutes and then fully qualified dyslexia assessors will produce a report. The £50 charge is to cover our costs and a wealth of information is offerered to support people.
"In addition, if the screening is positive, young people are offered one year's free membership of DAB," Denny said.
"The results give young people's parents or carers options on proceeding with schools and at home with support. In addition our helpline provides support and empowerment as does our web page www.da-bham.org
Until now, the cost of a full assessment varied between £250 and £400.
"The advantage of the screening we offer is that a result will prove whether a stage two full assessment is necessary, so we could save people a lot of money as well as offering peace of mind," she added.
Denny said that the Driving Standards Agency had also confirmed that the screening report would be accepted to support requests for extra time when a dyslexic took a theory test.
"So many people who are not sure if they are dyslexic have held back from learning to drive because of the cost involved in a full assessment," she said.
Denny said that the charity had offered enormous help and hope to people.
"Our oldest client to date was a 76-year-old, who all his life had believed he was stupid. When he realised he was dyslexic, his face said it all - a huge weight had been lifted. It was tinged with sadness, as he regretted the lost opportunities, but the over riding feeling was one of happiness.
"We just want to help as many people in the Birmingham area as we can now," she added.
SCREENING - a pr2go story
