By Cecilia Nasmith
In response to a letter from Viola Lyons, Cobourg council this week declared October as Dyslexia Awareness Month.
The appeal came from a woman who recalled the time her son Alex served as a page at Victoria Hall and how much his duties (and his discussions with Mayor Joan Chalovich) meant to him. At school, however, he struggled to read, write and spell due to a disability that was not well understood by the educational system.
“Dyslexia is a neurobiological, lifelong condition,” Lyons wrote.
“With proper identification and specific instruction, it can be managed. Sadly, despite having scientific understanding of why some children struggle to read and knowing the methods that will help, most dyslexics do not get the intervention they need,” she said.
“The cost to Canadian society is monumental.”
The Mark It Red campaign mounted in recognition of Dyslexia Awareness Month by Dyslexia Canada is also asking communities across Canada to light up their city halls in red for one night. Participating communities include Toronto's CN Tower, city halls in Halifax and Niagara Falls, the Calgary Tower, and The Big Fiddle in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Deputy Mayor Suzanne Seguin's motion also directed staff to look into the feasibility of having Victoria Hall join the list (and to repeat such a lighting occasionally for community-awareness proclamation requests).
