Middleburg Heights marks October as Dyslexia Awareness Month

hio – Reading can pose a challenge for those with dyslexia, a more-common-than-you-know neurobiological learning disability that impacts the brain's ability to process letters, language, spelling and writing.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month , and because dyslexia affects 20 percent of the population and accounts for 80 to 90 percent of all learning disabilities , Middleburg Heights Mayor Matt Castelli and City Council recently presented a proclamation to the Northern Ohio Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (NOBIDA) to greater expand public knowledge of the condition.

"Dyslexia affects approximately one in five people, regardless of race, gender, age or socio-economic status," Council President David Bortolotto read from the proclamation at the Sept. 10 council meeting.

"Early identification, alternative instruction and extra support ... can contribute to the success dyslexic students enjoy in the classroom and life, and, later on, in employment."

NOBIDA's "Light Up REaD" initiative will illuminate in red Cleveland's Terminal Tower and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame beginning Oct. 1.

Other NOBIDA events include a free Oct. 17 roundtable discussion offering advice about supporting students who learn differently, as well as free access to past symposium videos and a new recorded presentation about Ohio's dyslexia law beginning Oct. 28.

For specifics about those events and more, go to noh.dyslexiaida.org.