The month of October is annually observed as the International Dyslexia Awareness Month when high impact events and advocacy drives are organised as a part of the ‘Go Red’ theme with an aim to not only remove the stigma associated with dyslexia and other learning disabilities but to also create public awareness. In this regard, the Raj Bhavan as well as the Jharkhand State Bar Council, both situated in the State capital too will be illuminated in bright red on October 27, the last Sunday of the month.
The colour red is often associated with dyslexia. Supporting the cause, in the past, the north and south block of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Indian Parliament and the India Gate along with various historical monuments and government buildings were also lit up in red to mark the occasion.
The Jharkhand Council of Education and Research Training and Jharkhand Education Project Council in collaboration with ChangeInkk Foundation and UNESCO MGIEP have taken proactive steps to raise awareness and promote understanding on Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) under #Walk4Dyslexia and GoRed theme. For this, an MoU was also signed between JCERT and ChangeInkk Foundation on July 24, 2023.
Various initiatives haves been undertaken in this context including capacity building of about 6000 stakeholders- teachers, principals, block resources persons and special educators in the State. Steps have also been taken to help strengthen the system in identifying SLD cases as well as advocating for different policy level changes which may include possible accommodation during exams like other disabilities, similar to a scribe or a writer that is appointed for a child who cannot see during examinations.
As a part of the Dyslexia Awareness Month, a State level ‘Walk for Dyslexia’ event was also organised on October 22 at JCERT, Ranchi in which about 200 participants including students, teachers, officials from JEPC, JCERT, District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) facilities of Ranchi and organisations such as UNICEF, Room to Read, Piramal Foundation, Dream A Dream among others actively participated. To celebrate the strength of children with learning disabilities, the walkers dressed in red walked silently for approximately 2 kms. Students from 520 government schools across Jharkhand have also participated in similar silent rallies as a part of the campaign.
Pradip Kumar Choubey, Deputy Director JCERT said, “This disability was formally recognised by Right of Person with Disability Act (RPwD Act) in 2016. Significant efforts are still needed to ensure these students are integrated in mainstream schools and not left behind.”
Dyslexia is a neurological disability that primarily affects an individual’s ability to read, write and spell accurately. It is a common condition that is not related to the intelligence of a person. As per information shared by ChangeInkk Foundation, 1 in 5 individuals have dyslexia and 1 out of 20 usually gets identified.
“The identification process has been started by the teachers in all government schools across the State and as many as 3000 students might be at a risk of SLD. The scientific data states that approximately 20 percent of the entire population could have SLD, so in a classroom with 30 children there are chances that 6 may have Specific Learning Disabilities” said State Lead Jharkhand, ChangeInkk Foundation, Seema Charaborty.
The 2007 Bollywood movie named Taare Zameen Par starring Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary and Tisca Chopra in lead roles was also based on dyslexia. Popular Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, Nikhil Kamath- the co- founder of Zerodha, a retail stock broker and financial services company, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison are some personalities known to have this neurological disorder.
