This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Dyslexia Scotland charity launched
17/11/2004
A new charity, Dyslexia Scotland, is launched today with
the aim of helping thousands of people with dyslexia across
the country.
It will combine the expertise of two leading charities,
the Scottish Dyslexia Trust and Dyslexia in Scotland, and
have Sir Jackie Stewart as President and Sir Peter Burt as
chairman of the Board.
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First Minister Jack McConnell announced that the
Executive will work with Dyslexia Scotland to host a
national conference early next year, and he pledged
£100,000 funding over the next two years for the charity to
work with schools to develop best practice on supporting
dyslexic children.
The First Minister said:
"Today's launch is extremely significant. It says loud
and clear that young people with dyslexia in Scotland
should have no limits put on their ambition. No limits on
how successful they can be in life.
"You only need to look to inspirational Scots such as
Sir Jackie Stewart to see that dyslexia is no barrier to
success. And he is not alone.
"Throughout history there have been countless others who
have unnecessarily struggled at school, only to succeed
later. We have a duty to ensure future generations have
more support and understanding, and therefore a better
start in life."
Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, the former world champion racing
driver, was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 36. He
was involved in cars from an early age, and left school by
his own admission "with great relief" aged 16 to work in
his father's garage.
Sir Peter Burt is former head of the Bank of Scotland
and is now chairman of ITV plc. He has two dyslexic
sons.
Other famous people who had dyslexia are Winston
Churchill, Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci.
It is estimated that 10% of Scotland's population are
dyslexic to some degree.
Dyslexia is often a 'hidden disability' and affects how
people process information.
It is associated with difficulties in reading, writing
and spelling and is accompanied by poor working memory,
sequencing and organisational difficulties.