Project Uplift: Transforming How Students with Dyslexia Learn to Read
What does Whoopi Goldberg, Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, and Muhammad Ali all have in common? They are famous individuals with dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning difference that impacts a person’s ability to read, write, and spell. Some common and early signs of dyslexia include:
- Difficulty reading (decoding & fluency)
- Delayed speech development (articulation & low vocabulary)
- Challenges with phonological awareness tasks which includes skills such as rhyming and blending sounds
- Family history of reading difficulties
Being one of the most misunderstood learning differences and most common neuro-cognitive disorder, dyslexia affects roughly 1 in 10 people, globally. Dyslexia is hereditary and is unique to the individual with the learning difference. Although it is a lifelong disability, individuals can overcome their unique learning challenges through early diagnosis and intervention.
Dyslexia can range from mild to severe therefore making it difficult to diagnose; however, dyslexia is often identified soon after a student starts to learn how to read, usually in elementary school. Benchmark data, progress monitoring notes, and a formal evaluation allows an interdisciplinary team to identify individuals with dyslexia along with their learning needs. The next step would be to develop strategies, and interventions tailored to the students’ learning goals. This is where Project Uplift comes in.
What is Project Uplift?
Project Uplift is a purpose-driven, research-informed literacy initiative dedicated to reshaping how children with dyslexia learn to read. Developed in collaboration with the Dyslexia Center of the Caribbean, the program was launched in Barbados to provide impactful, targeted support.
Through Project Uplift education professionals will undergo a comprehensive, one-year training that provides a deep conceptual understanding on reading theory and how to support students with dyslexia through outcome driven approaches. The organization’s Two-Phase program offers a self-paced course that will be completed under the guidance and mentorship of certified Orton-Gillingham facilitators.
Project Uplift’s Two-Phase program is modeled after the Structured Literacy Approach which is an evidence-based approach to reading instruction and is accredited by the International Dyslexia Association. Not only is the Structured Literacy approach effective for students with dyslexia but it is beneficial for all learners. It emphasizes explicit, systematic, and cumulative teaching of the foundational skills necessary for reading and writing. This approach is grounded in decades of research from the science of reading, which highlights how the brain learns to read.
With appropriate interventions and evidence-based therapies in place, students can transform into confident, capable readers and be equipped with enduring strategies to support their success throughout their academic careers and into adulthood.