South African government hails national dyslexia network initiative

Dyslexia is a general term that describes the difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols but does not affect general intelligence.

Social Development Deputy Minister, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, has welcomed civil society organizations' initiatives to work towards the launch of the national dyslexia network, the first organization in the disability sector in South Africa.

Dyslexia is a general term that describes the difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols but does not affect general intelligence.

The strategic pillar 6 of the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, approved by Cabinet in 2015, advocates for strengthening the representative voice of persons with disabilities, particularly the under-represented groups whose voice are not heard on existing platforms.

As such, dyslexia falls within the broader category of 'invisible' disabilities as it is not obvious or easily identifiable.

Deputy Minister Bogopane-Zulu said that the need for early identification and recognition of dyslexia in South Africa remains pressing, as there is very little understanding and barely any intervention measures for dyslexic learners in schools.

"Awareness of this learning difficulty remains low across the country. We, therefore, need to generate greater public awareness in order to identify and support persons with dyslexia and their families," the Deputy Minister said.

She also noted that dyslexia is not necessarily a barrier to success as there are many bright and creative individuals with dyslexia, like Njabulo Mabaso, founder of VelaNjabulo Foundation, which is based at Umlazi south of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

The foundation is an advocacy organization that provides peer counseling and educational support to young people with dyslexia. The organization also advocates for better educational support services for learners with dyslexia in ordinary and special schools.

"Another notable dyslexic activist in South Africa is Sihle Ndlela, a self-made contractor, and entrepreneur who was recently selected for the Forbes Africa 30 under 30s list. Sihle Ndlela and Njabulo Mabaso's personal stories attest to the fact that early identification, combined with the right educational and family support, persons with dyslexia can accomplish great things in life," the Deputy Minister said.

(With inputs from South African Government press release)