What do Daniel Radcliffe, Octavia Spencer, Lewis Hamilton, Walt Disney and Richard Branson have in common? They are all icons in their fields — and they have dyslexia.

Dyslexia affects up to 20 per cent of the global population; that’s one in five people. In Bermuda, that could mean more than 1,600 students are navigating school with brains wired to learn differently. Too often, these differences are unrecognised or misunderstood — leading to frustration, low confidence and missed opportunities.

Dyslexia is not about low intelligence or lack of effort. It is a neurological, language-based learning difference that affects reading, writing and spelling. Matching sounds to letters and decoding words can be difficult, which in turn affects reading fluency and comprehension. With the right instruction and encouragement, students with dyslexia can achieve academic success, discover their strengths and thrive.

Since 1968, The Reading Clinic has been helping children unlock that potential. Founded by Elizabeth “Betty” Kitson, the clinic’s mission has been to ensure that children in Bermuda, regardless of background, have access to the support they need to realise their full potential.

What began as a small, community-driven effort has evolved into a vital community institution that offers four specialised services to address dyslexia, maths-related learning differences and the diagnosis of learning differences:

• Core Reading Programme: Using the gold-standard Orton-Gillingham approach, 40 trained tutors deliver at least 80 one-on-one sessions each year to more than 110 students with dyslexia, helping rewire the brain for reading and spelling success

• I-Can Programme: Specialised, hands-on numeracy support for children significantly struggling with maths, serving 56 students last year with tailored instruction from 25 instructors

• I-Play Programme: Early intervention in seven public preschools, building essential pre-literacy skills in more than 120 children annually through songs, stories and games

• Diagnostic Testing Service: Comprehensive assessments and recommendations to ensure no child is left behind owing to an unidentified learning difference

These programmes are designed to be accessible, but they come at a cost because they require one-on-one support with specialised tutors. Thanks to generous donors, The Reading Clinic is able to subsidise fees to keep sessions affordable. Further support is available with tiered financial assistance for those with demonstrated needs, ensuring that every family — regardless of income — can access the help their child needs.

The stakes are too high. Without diagnosis and support, children with learning differences face increased risks of anxiety, depression, bullying, school disengagement and even incarceration. In Bermuda, a 1999 study found that 28 per cent of incarcerated individuals were functionally illiterate. Yet when supported early and consistently, students with dyslexia often become innovators, leaders and creative thinkers. Parents tell us their children’s self-esteem has soared, that homework is no longer a nightly battle, and that their family life has been transformed.

At The Reading Clinic, we believe every child should understand how their brain works — and feel empowered by it. Dyslexia is not a deficit; it’s a different way of thinking that needs to be celebrated.

People with dyslexia bring incredible strengths to the table: visual-spatial thinking, big-picture reasoning, creativity, innovation, problem-solving skills and resilience. They are the scientists, designers, entrepreneurs and artists of tomorrow. When we recognise their potential and give them the tools to succeed, we all benefit.

• Martina Harris is the executive director of The Reading Clinic. For more information on programmes or interventions, phone at 292-3938 or visit www.readingclinic.bm. This op-ed is part of the Third Sector Spotlight Series, a collective campaign co-ordinated by the Non-Profit Alliance of Bermuda. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the value, impact and contributions of Bermuda’s non-profit sector