IDA Ontario applauds the Ontario Human Rights Commission for today’s launch of a year-long "Right to Read" public inquiry into "human rights issues affecting students with reading disabilities, including dyslexia, in Ontario public schools."
The inquiry makes Ontario the first Canadian province to join a growing global movement drawing attention to both the unique needs of students with dyslexia and the broader need to update educational practices to align with the established science of how children learn to read. In recent years, parent-led dyslexia advocacy efforts have enabled legislative changes in 43 U.S. states, as well as curriculum and policy changes in England, Ireland and Australia.
The Commission launched the inquiry after hearing from families throughout the province, who shared their experiences and the issues they faced while trying to get help for children struggling with reading difficulties.
IDA Ontario President-Elect Alicia Smith spoke today at the launch of the inquiry, describing her son Marcus’s struggle with learning to read, and the lack of appropriate instruction and intervention at school. “I hope that this inquiry will be both a moment of reckoning and a turning point for the culture of education in this province and that the findings of the inquiry will help us move forward together and embrace the science of reading, so that every child can realize their right to read and no more children will sit silently at their desks wishing they didn’t exist."
We express heartfelt thanks to the caring and passionate people who submitted information and participated in interviews that helped bring this inquiry to life and gratefully acknowledge the organizations, professionals, families, and volunteers who work so hard to support those struggling with dyslexia.
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More information:
*NEW* - IDA Ontario - more information about the OHRC Read to Right Inquiry
Read IDA Ontario's Press Release.
Read the joint Decoding Dyslexia Ontario / IDA Ontario Press Release.
Read more about the OHRC inquiry.
Video of the OHRC launch of the public inquiry.
Read Marcus Smith’s 2018 letter to his MPP Jill Dunlop.
Read IDA Ontario’s Position Statement “Supporting Students with Dyslexia in Ontario Public Schools”.