Empowered
Red Square Pegs seeks to increase dyslexia awareness by promoting understanding and empowerment to take action. We believe awareness is the foundation for a successful and confident journey with dyslexia.
Awareness
Dyslexia awareness comes through gaining knowledge of and having access to resources. It helps us realize that “dyslexia” is not a scary or bad word. Awareness helps us move beyond the stigma.
Understanding
By increasing understanding of dyslexia, we can help to dispel common misconceptions and empower individuals affected by dyslexia with actionable steps to receive support for dyslexia.
Connection
Building connection gives our community a voice, brings change to social norms and empowers those who were born to stand out. Through connection, we can decrease feelings of loneliness in our struggles and increase camaraderie through shared experiences.
empowerment
Once we are armed with tools such as relevant resources, research, and a supportive community, we can then fully embrace dyslexia with the power of understanding, and confidently advance toward challenges we may face.
Dyslexia is a journey
Dyslexia is a journey punctuated by challenges, triumphs, joy, and too often heartache. It is inconsistent, presenting uniquely in every person. By placing the power of understanding in the hands of every person directly and indirectly impacted by dyslexia, together we can empower ourselves and others to make a difference.
No matter where you are on the journey, building awareness is crucial to navigating the challenges and identifying strengths that can lead a person to success.
- Are you dyslexic?
- Do you have a child with dyslexia?
- Do you suspect your child may be dyslexic?
- Are you an educator, clinician or just want to learn about dyslexia?
- All are welcome!
Our space is an excellent resource for you.
At Red Square Pegs
we are all connected by dyslexia. Either we have it, treat it, parent someone who has it, teach those who have it, or want to learn more about it.
We seek to demystify dyslexia, illuminating its lesser-known characteristics, and strive to support parents, educators, and the entire dyslexia community by providing information, knowledge, tools, resources, and connection through shared experiences.
We will continue to advocate for dyslexia awareness until it ceases to stigmatize those who are challenged by it.
Connecting to the Facts
- Dyslexia is common; 1 in 5 individuals show signs of dyslexia and many go undiagnosed
- By definition, dyslexics have average to above average IQ
- Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability
- Dyslexia occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels
- Dyslexia is not tied to motivation or perseverance levels
- With appropriate and evidenced based teaching methods, dyslexics can learn successfully
- Dyslexia can run in families; parents with dyslexia are likely to have children with dyslexia
- Dyslexics may struggle with organizational skills, planning and prioritizing, keeping time, and concentrating with background noise.
- Dyslexics may excel at connecting ideas, thinking out of the box, and seeing the big picture
- People with dyslexia excel in many areas of academics, occupational skills and arts
- Dyslexia often co-occurs with other disorders such as attention deficit hyper disorder (ADHD), developmental language disorder (DLD), speech sound disorders, or dysgraphia
3 Steps to Your Empowerment Path
No matter where you are on the journey, here is your path to mastering dyslexia
Step 1
Build Awareness and Understanding
Building knowledge of what dyslexia is, what it’s not and how it impacts your life takes the mystery out of dyslexia and with the power of understanding in your hands, the challenges you may face no longer hold the power they once did.
Step 2
Finding Strength in Acceptance
Acknowledging dyslexia is multifaceted. It comes with challenges, but outside the box learners are known to have unique strengths and excel in many areas. Viewing, processing, and working through information differently is an asset—not a fault. The ability to maximize these strengths rather than minimize comes through awareness, understanding, and acceptance.
Step 3
Take Action
With awareness, understanding and acceptance comes empowerment to take action.
- Equip yourself
- Equip your children
- Learn about strength-based strategies for work
- Align strategies with strengths
- Effectively communicate your needs or your child’s (self-advocacy/advocate for another)
Valerie was a guest on my podcast. Her personal journey with dyslexia is an inspiration for other moms. Her resilience, knowledge and passion to create awareness and empower dyslexics is truly insightful and authentic.
— Nicole Holcomb Dyslexia Mom Life
Whitney is an amazing, passionate speech language pathologist with expertise in the area of diagnosing and treating dyslexia, as well as a range of other speech and language disorders!
— Lara Motter, M.S., CCC-SLP
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your guidance truly gave me additional confidence going into my son’s 504 meeting and knowing you were right there supporting me. Thank you Valerie!
— Emily Elbert
We first met Whitney at a dyslexia clinic where she worked with our son mainly on reading techniques for dyslexia, but also with speech articulation. We were so impressed with her professionalism and how knowledgeable she is so we opted to continue working with her for speech lessons after our son “graduated” from the dyslexia program. Consistent lessons with Whitney made a huge difference and our son has corrected all of his articulation issues. We were so impressed with Whitney that we have referred another family member in need of an SLP to her!
— Sara Millett
I had the pleasure of getting to know Val during the pandemic after inviting her on my platform to share her dyslexia story. I was not only moved but inspired by her after hearing the life hardships she and her family had faced due to undiagnosed dyslexia. Seeing how death, poverty, and substance abuse ripped through her family, Val truly understands the need to advocate and intervene as early as possible. As a dyslexic mom herself, she understands how to support her two dyslexic boys and will fight to advocate for your child(ren) too.
— Dr. Lauren A/OGA, Founder of Think Dyslexia, Special Educator
