We’ve just seen out the last few days of Dyslexia Awareness Month!

It’s been another incredible October, and as ever, it’s been truly empowering and heartwarming to see the whole community come together to celebrate, spread hope, and share their lived experiences. It’s also been incredible to see so many businesses and organisations get on board the dyslexia express too, and take the time to raise funds and awareness, and share stories of dyslexic excellence in business, education and the arts.

Dyslexia Awareness Month can be a vital source of information. It’s a time for fostering those vital community bonds and raising awareness of dyslexia in spaces where understanding of neurodiversity might still be a little lacking. It can give us a vital audit of the dyslexia movement, and even allow us to conduct a bit of a health check on the ways that the global dyslexia community gets the message out there, what it says, and who it resonates with.

So this year, we’ve really been paying attention to all of the things that Dyslexia Awareness Month can teach us, about dyslexia in children and young people, social stigmas, where the message is getting lost – and where people with dyslexia all over the world want to see some positive change, so that Dyslexia Awareness Month 2025 can be bigger and brighter than ever before.

Here's what we learned about in Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024!

1.     We do still need a Dyslexia Awareness Month.

As much as awareness should be year-round, having a dedicated month where the global dyslexia community pulls together and shares, creates and fundraises as one really draws attention to dyslexia and the experiences of those who have it. It’s a critical moment for getting the awareness message out into the world at large, and that helps bust stigmas and amplify the narrative. And it also represents a time when people who have dyslexia can feel seen and celebrated, as we share stories of dyslexic excellence and creative genius. That’s why it’s still one of the biggest events in the neurodiversity calendar – and you can find out more at The Education Station.

2.     Social stigmas and myths about dyslexia really do still exist, especially in schools.

Although children and young people are one of the demographics most likely to have a dyslexia diagnosis, they’re also one of the ones the most likely to get the facts a little mixed up about having dyslexia: the number of funny stories shared by parents last month can attest to that. But there is a serious note to consider, too – many kids unknowingly perpetuate things like social stigmas and beliefs that centre on the idea that having dyslexia makes somebody less intelligent, or that it means they can’t take part in certain things, especially if all their knowledge comes from hearsay.

It can be tricky to overcome these social stigmas, especially when they’re fuelled by the classroom rumour mill, so it’s vital we ensure that children and young people in schools are receiving the right information about neurodiversities from the start. That’s why events like Dyslexia Awareness Month and Neurodiversity Awareness Week are so important: they provide focused events and frameworks in which to have these conversations, and many organisations even create free resources for teachers to use to support their lessons and assemblies.

3.     And speaking of those social stigmas, we all need to pull together as a movement to normalise assistive technology!

Even though it’s been around for many years and is adapting to reach new heights all the time, a quick glance at social media proves that there are still some people out there that perpetuate the myth that using assistive technology is cheating. That’s one myth that really needs busting: is using a pair of glasses cheating? Of course it isn’t!

But opinions like these prove that there’s still work to be done when it comes to educating the world about AT, and normalising it. The simplest way to do this is as well as encouraging learners who use assistive technology to read due to dyslexia, EAL status or vision needs, amplify that assistive technology-based reading tools have a place in the general classroom too. They can improve retention, beat anxiety, and help learners make months of reading progress in mere weeks – which is of huge benefit to all!

4.     The idea of dyslexic ‘superpowers’ is divisive.

Some dyslexic people credit dyslexia as the root of some of their talents and skills, such as their creativity, flexibility and problem-solving ability. Many describe them as ‘dyslexic superpowers’, or say that dyslexia is their superpower, taking back the misconception that dyslexia means a lack of ability – but some members of the online community don’t share their love for the term.

Some folks with dyslexia describe how the ‘superpowers’ narrative has led to generalisations taking hold in popular belief, such as ‘all dyslexic people are great at art’, which isn’t true… and feels upsetting if you’re a dyslexic person who doesn’t have amazing art skills. Others simply feel that using the word ‘superpowers’ to refer to something that actively causes them stress and negative emotions as they learn and work feels uncomfortable and inaccurate. It’s all down to personal preference, so there’s space to make up your own mind.

5.     The global dyslexia community is bigger and better than ever before! …but some stories and narratives are really under-represented still.

As each year passes, more and more people get on board with neurodiversity events, find their own diagnosis, join online communities and share their stories and authentic selves with the world. And it’s great – but there are some demographics within the global dyslexia community whose voices aren’t heard as much as others. Every event, share and piece of content about dyslexia awareness is important, but we do need to make sure that we’re making space for and amplifying the voices of people who might feel marginalised by the movement. These might be people who don’t communicate in English, people from BAME backgrounds, people who are LGBTQIA+, and people from economically disadvantaged communities.

6.     As a movement, we still need to talk more about supporting reading needs in adults, and in the workplace.

Schools and dyslexia organisations make up a huge amount of Dyslexia Awareness Month participants. Businesses do get involved, and frequently – but the scale just isn’t the same. And that’s a shame, because working adults are far less likely to be diagnosed with dyslexia and are far less likely to be in receipt of reading support. What we’d like to see in the future is more and more workplaces adopting open-door policies to encourage conversations about dyslexia and reading support, Reasonable Adjustments, and ways to make the experience of work more equitable for dyslexic folks everywhere.

7.     Digital barriers impact older people’s community engagement.

A lot of the celebrations for Dyslexia Awareness Month happen online. It makes sense: it’s a great way of building awareness content into how we interact with our peers on social media platforms, and it’s a great way of reaching people all over the globe without having to leave the comfort of your desk. But it does mean that only people who are online are able to view, interact with and benefit from the content we share and the stories we tell.

This means that older people – one of the demographics least likely to be online and digitally skilled – are consistently left out of the loop, and are missing out on a lot of the important message that Dyslexia Awareness Month carries with it. That’s why it’s so important that the good word gets spread in the physical community as well, and that initiatives that support older people and bring them together draw attention to neurodiversity positivity, especially during global awareness efforts.

Dyslexia Awareness Month is a vital event in the global neurodiversity calendar because as well as giving the global dyslexia community the chance to share, celebrate and raise awareness, it also gives us a great opportunity to learn about ourselves as a movement, and work out where we need to focus in the future.

A huge part of this now is ensuring that neurodiversity education happens, kids are being supported and have all the facts they need, and that marginalised dyslexic voices are equally heard. That’s what it’s all about: coming together, sharing our stories and challenging both society at large and ourselves to do better, aim higher, until there’s a world out there that’s inclusive for all.

We hope that you had a wonderful Dyslexia Awareness Month!