LDAK Update Fall 2021
It’s LDAK’s 40th Anniversary and October is LD Awareness Month!
Summer is usually a time when LDAK board members, volunteers and staff take a break before the rush of fall activity. Wrapping up a successful launch of our Online Outreach Initiative, we were all ready for a breather, but we were also excited about a new initiative we had decided to undertake and wanted to use the summer months to get it moving.
Following an effective strategic planning session in May (developed and conducted by a generous volunteer), we are consolidating our service activities to ensure that they address community needs by making the best use of our resources. These include continuing to serve as an information clearinghouse on learning disabilities, continuing and expanding our program of webinars and forums, and developing and implementing a tutoring program for youth with significant reading challenges and dyslexia based on the Science of Reading. This new initiative will be launched in early 2022, with recruitment and training of tutors already underway.
Structured Literacy is a research-based, highly effective method for teaching literacy skills development and we are fortunate to have new volunteers who bring a wealth of experience in this area to our initiative. For information on the Science of Reading and why many educational jurisdictions are implementing it in their curricula, please visit the Structured Literacy instruction webpage of the International Dyslexia Association Ontario.
Registration will open in early 2022 for students who meet the eligibility criteria. The program will use decodable books and structured exercises designed to promote learning of the elements of literacy and each student participant will receive one-on-one tutoring along with additional activities.
In addition to the tutoring program, LDAK will also be offering webinars on LD issues, and we will provide information and webinars on the Right to Read report when it is released, placing particular attention on the implications of the report’s recommendations for Kingston’s school boards.
We continue to pursue funding to stabilize our operations and will be resuming shifts at the Community Spirit Gaming Centre, which is a significant funder of our services. We are always looking for bingo volunteers, so please consider supporting us by taking on shifts for us.
LDAK is excited for another year of serving the LD community! Keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages for updates during LD Awareness Month and later this fall about the tutoring program based on the Science of Reading. Join us in celebrating 40 years of service and ongoing support to students with learning disabilities and families in Kingston and area.
