Year-long celebrations featuring inspirational stories of individuals with dyslexia in Singapore and a planned Charity Golf & Dinner to be graced by President Halimah Yacob

 

SINGAPORE, 1 FEBRUARY 2021 – The Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) is marking its 30th anniversary this year with ‘DAS30 – Embracing Dyslexia for 30 years’. Starting from 30 January, DAS will hold a series of events throughout the year to commemorate its journey in helping people with dyslexia achieve their fullest potential, share inspirational stories of individuals with dyslexia and raise greater support for dyslexia.

The heart of DAS30 is ‘EMBRACE DYSLEXIA’ a movement launched by DAS in 2014 to debunk common misconceptions about dyslexia, encourage people with dyslexia to embrace their learning differences and to call organisations to take greater action in supporting the dyslexia community. 

As part of ‘EMBRACE DYSLEXIA’, DAS will publish more personal stories of dyslexia that will culminate in a 30th Anniversary edition of ‘Embrace a Different Kind of Mind’. The book will give a unique view into the struggles and successes of locals with dyslexia including DAS alumni members, DAS Young Achiever Award winners, DAS Special Achievement Awards recipients, entrepreneurs and individuals from all walks of life. DAS will first share these personal stories on its social media channels before publishing the book.

DAS also launched the EMBRACE DYSLEXIA pledge today to promote commitment, support, donation and action amongst local communities for dyslexia. Local businesses can also pledge their commitment to enhance awareness, opportunities and advocacy for dyslexia at the workplace.

 

DAS30 Celebration Highlights

In June, DAS will hold its 7th UNITE SpLD (Uniting Ideas in Teaching Excellence: SpLD) Conference where educators, researchers and the extended dyslexia community will gather to share and learn in symposiums, workshops and lectures. Local and international presenters and panellists will provide insights on topics related to Embracing Dyslexia and the pledge to support the dyslexia community.

A key event in DAS30 is the World Dyslexia Awareness Month to be held in October to coincide with the DAS birthday month. The usual week-long campaign will extend into a month-long edition this year to promote conversations, resources and support for dyslexia. Activities include a roadshow, free public screening sessions, a seminar on specific learning differences (SpLDs), webinars, a walk for dyslexia and an art competition.

On 22 October, DAS is planning to hold a Charity Golf and Dinner at the Laguna National Ballroom to raise funds for the DAS Bursary Fund so that more students from low-income families can access the educational support they need to reach their potential. The dinner will be graced by Guest of Honour, President Halimah Yacob, who visited the DAS Rex House Learning Centre in November 2020 as part of the President’s Challenge on empowering people with disabilities.

DAS30 will conclude at the 2021 Student Graduation and Achievement Awards Ceremony to be held at the Singapore University of Technology and Design on 27 November. This annual occasion marks the completion of the curriculum of the DAS Main Literacy Programme (MLP) supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE) by DAS students, recognition of outstanding progress of students of DAS Specialised Educational Services (SES) and remarkable achievements of DAS alumni and Educational Therapists.

This year, DAS will also commemorate the 10th Anniversary of DAS International with the launch of an online talk series, ‘Spotlight on Specialist Teachers’, in February; and with an international forum, series to be organised as part of the UNITE SpLD conference in June. A wholly-owned subsidiary of DAS, DAS International provides high-quality one-to-one specialist services to local and regional students who have a range of SpLDs, behavioural difficulties and developmental disorders.

DAS will also launch ‘I Wish You Knew – The Parents’ Voice’, a video series featuring interviews with parents in Singapore to uncover their struggles and joys when helping their children cope with their learning differences; and a commemorative DAS30 video with messages from DAS Patron Mrs Goh Chok Tong and other historical figures who have helped with the success of DAS over the years. In appreciation of the support from DAS for his child, Dave Rhodes from Southeast.sg has designed the DAS30 campaign logo - a fun and lively depiction of the journey that DAS makes in the lives of those with dyslexia.

 

DAS30
Figure 1: DAS30 logo and applications

 

Since its founding in 1991, DAS has expanded to 14 learning centres across Singapore with more than 300 Educational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Specialist Psychologists and Support Staff providing a holistic range of programmes and services to over 3,500 students with dyslexia and other SpLDs. With the support of the MOE, DAS has helped thousands of primary and secondary school students with dyslexia in developing literacy skills every year. In addition, DAS has also offered interventional support to students in a range of academic and non-academic subjects and in facing challenges arising from co-occurring SpLDs such as ADHD, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. It has also provided assessment services for various SpLDs and trained Special Educational Needs(SEN) educators through the DAS Academy.

“DAS 30 is not just about celebrating the achievements of DAS. It is also a tribute to people with dyslexia and those who have supported them on their journey. While we look back proudly at many meaningful achievements made by DAS over the past 30 years, we recognise that there is much more to be done to identify and help children and people with dyslexia. We call upon the community to embrace their strengths and partner us to put them on a path to success,” said Lee Siang, Chief Executive Officer, DAS.

For more information on DAS30, visit www.das.org.sg or follow DAS on Facebook or Instagram for latest updates. To show support for the dyslexia community, go to Change.org to sign the EMBRACE DYSLEXIA petition and go to Donate to Educate to donate to the DAS Bursary Fund.