25
1 2018 – 2022 Strategic Plan Prepared by: Approved by the Board of DAI on April 14 th , 2018.
1
2018 – 2022
Strategic Plan
Prepared by:
Approved by the Board of DAI on April 14th, 2018.
2
Executive Summary
Who We Are and What We Do The Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) works with and for people affected by dyslexia. We
work to empower individuals. We do this by providing information, offering support services,
engaging in advocacy and awareness raising for people with and affected by dyslexia. DAI is
a membership-based association representing over 1,500 families and individuals across
Ireland. Our membership also includes some psychologists, teachers, tutors and other
professionals working with people with dyslexia and their families. DAI currently has a national
network of 26 workshops (i.e. branches) that offer local training and support across Ireland.
About This Plan Our new strategic plan offers a roadmap for what we hope to achieve over the coming five
years, and how we plan to achieve it. To make sure that our plan is meaningful, we undertook
consultations with our clients, our staff, and our Board to understand what goals would be
important and relevant for our stakeholders. There is more information about our services, our
members, and our mission, vision and values in Sections Two and Three of this plan. To learn
more about our consultation and process, an explanation of how we developed our five-year
strategic plan is found in Section Four. Our strategic goals and our year-by-year plan to
achieve these goals are contained in Sections Five.
Summary of Our Goals We have agreed on five strategic goals that we hope to achieve in the coming five years.
These goals, and our plan to achieve them, are explored in more detail in Sections Five.
Goal One: Formalise a learning pathway for young people, adults, parents and families,
teachers and other educators
When someone is assessed as having dyslexia, there can be confusion and worry about what
this could mean for their education or career. For young people, adults, parents and families,
and teachers, an important step is learning about dyslexia and developing the necessary skills
to navigate through education, employment and in their personal lives. Our plan is to develop
a learning pathway, a blended learning approach to help individuals in navigating the
important milestones as well as developing critical knowledge and skills about dyslexia. As
part of this learning pathway, we will continue to provide on-going training and support, as well
as developing a needs assessment process.
Goal Two: Further develop our model for service delivery in our Workshops and develop a new
Toolkit and Quality Standard process
Our nationwide network of workshops provides local support and information for a range of
stakeholders; there are currently 26 workshops across the country. When speaking with our
members, they told us that easy-to-access and high-quality supports were important. Our plan
is to further develop our workshop model to explore how our services and information is
delivered locally. We will be undertaking a co-production approach with our Workshop
personnel to develop new resources and a quality standard process for our services. We will
also be establishing a working group with local Workshop Coordinators to help led this project
alongside staff at our national office.
Goal Three: Develop an advocacy strategy that promotes (1) equity of access to identification
and assessment of dyslexia and (2) mandatory training for teachers at all levels
Teachers at all levels of education play an important role in identifying signs of dyslexia, as well
as other literacy and learning difficulties. When speaking with teachers and educators they
have asked us to provide more support with understanding dyslexia. Teachers specially asked
about access to training to understand how teachers can further support students and
3
correctly identify signs of dyslexia, as well as training on how teachers can identify and assess
for dyslexia. We will start by undertaking a review of how dyslexia is addressed in initial teacher
training programmes. We plan to collaborate with other partner organisations, as well as higher
education and universities, in order to best understand what practices for identification and
assessment reflect current good practice, and to develop an evidence base to support
changes in the training teachers will receive in the coming years.
Goal Four: Support the Adult Education sector to develop and adopt inclusion policies in
relation to current good practice
When speaking with teachers and educators in the Adult Education sector, they have
highlighted their need for supports with ensuring their classrooms are participatory, inclusive
and accessible for students with dyslexia and other literacy and learning difficulties. We plan to
develop a strategy to help the Adult Education sector to develop inclusion and equity policies
that are in line with current standards of good practice. As part of this step, we will develop an
Inclusion pack, a new resource containing practical guidance, examples of inclusion and
equity policies and instructions for embedding these policies within a training centre, college or
education service.
Goal Five: Further develop organisationally to respond to emerging challenges and the needs
of our clients and members
Both our Board of Directors and staff recognise that our commitment to growth and providing
high-quality, cost-effective services will be an on-going process, and requires that we continue
to support our staff to develop professionally, as well as developing the resources to finance
the organisations development. We will be developing an internal strategy to ensure our staff
are provided with on-going peer supervision and support to professionally develop, and
developing a funding and fundraising strategy. As part of this goal, we will be working to ensure
that we are properly resourced to grow organisationally so we can meet the identified needs
of our members and stakeholders.
4
Table of Content Executive Summary 2
Who We Are and What We Do 2 About This Plan 2 Summary of Our Goals 2
Section One: Welcome and Context 5 Foreword 5 Introduction 6 Our Stakeholders 6 Our Partners 7
Section Two: Dyslexia in Ireland 9
Overview 9
What is Dyslexia 9
Dyslexia in Ireland 9
Section Three: Our Organisation 10 Our Organisation 10 Our Vision, Mission and Values 11 Our Services 11 Our Commitment to Quality 13
Section Four: Developing the Plan 15 Gathering ideas 15 Exploring Ideas 15 Reviewing Our Vision, Mission and Values 16 Finalising the Plan 16 Getting Support to Make Our Plan 16
Section Five: Our Strategic Goals 17 Overview 17
Commitment to Continuous Quality Improvement 17
Goal One 178
Goal Two 20
Goal Three 21
Goal Four 22
Goal Five 23
Bibliography 24 Appendix 25
5
Section One: Welcome and Context
Foreword Welcome to the Dyslexia Association of Ireland's Strategic Plan 2018-2022.
Our Strategic Plan is the product of an intensive six-month process. It began with the
considerations and deliberations of our board or directors, Strategic Planning Working Group
and the DAI staff. It also included engagement with and crucial feedback from our whole
community; our workshops, members and our many stakeholders.
Our focus throughout our deliberations were always our Vision and Mission. Our Vision is a
society that values and meets the needs of people with dyslexia, and where dyslexic
individuals reach their full potential in all aspects of life. Our Mission is to work with and for
people affected by dyslexia. We work to empower individuals by providing information,
offering support services, engaging in advocacy and raising awareness of dyslexia.
The DAI has a strong sense of our vision and mission, of where we want to be in five years’ time,
and what we wish to achieve. Our Strategic Plan reflects this clarity and vision, achieved
through a thorough assessment of our present standing, and outlining our goals for the next five
years. We have also defined the values that underpin how we conduct our work, and have
developed strategic goals and priorities which are informed by these values.
We worked in close collaboration with Quality Matters as our consultants for the strategic
management and facilitation of the development of this strategic plan. Quality Matters offered
DAI the ability to stimulate an intensive examination of our hopes and aspirations whilst adding
their insight and professional perspective. We are very grateful to the Quality Matters team for
their immense work throughout this affirming and most worthwhile project that we have
undertaken. The DAI staff and board are to be commended and thanked for their dedication,
imagination and perseverance throughout this planning process. Sincere gratitude to all those
who contributed their thoughts, insights and feedback to this process; without your
engagement this plan would not have been possible.
The DAI acknowledges that no future is certain, and that charities face constant change and
challenges that can impact positively and negatively on how they do their work, and how they
achieve both their real and aspirational goals. DAI knows that as a charity we will be faced
with change, so we need to manage change, to be ready and able to adapt, rather than to
react. This planning process has provided us with a system to lead, manage, and develop the
Association in a well-planned, integrated manner based on clear strategies. The priorities from
the plan become the priorities for our daily work, which will in turn require that we focus our
resources so that we can move forward with confidence to achieve our vision.
Guided by this Strategic Plan, our staff will develop and implement annual plans outlining
specific activities and goals, along with the necessary tools to measure our progress. DAI will
regularly assess the effectiveness of our actions against these goals.
Our Strategic Plan will benefit all of our community; our members, our workshops, our
employees, our board of directors, our stakeholders, and all those with whom we engage and
represent.
I hope that our Strategic Plan 2018-2022 will enlighten and encourage each of you to take part
in making our future happen.
Natasha Kearns Rosie Bissett
Chairperson CEO
6
Introduction The Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) works with and for people affected by dyslexia. We
work to empower individuals by providing information, offering support services, engaging in
advocacy and raising awareness of dyslexia. DAI is a membership-based association
representing over 1,500 families and individuals across Ireland. Our membership also includes
some teachers, psychologists and other professionals working with people with dyslexia and
their families. DAI has a national network involving 26 workshops offering local community-
based training and services. DAI was founded in 1972 by parents and teachers who were
concerned about the lack of awareness for dyslexia and the absence of provisions for children
with dyslexia within the Irish school system. DAI is a member-led organisation, governed by a
Board of Directors, the majority of whom have dyslexia, or are the parent of a child/adult with
dyslexia.
This strategic plan provides a roadmap for what we aim to achieve over the coming five years,
and how we plan to achieve it. We took this opportunity to see if there were any new ways
that we could better meet some of the needs and challenges that our clients have.
The process for developing our strategic plan was also an opportunity for our Board, our staff
and our members, including adults with dyslexia, young people with dyslexia, parents and
families, as well as teachers and other educators, to reflect on our work and offer suggestions
on how we can improve. It was an opportunity to see if our ‘mission’, ‘vision’ and ‘values’ are
still relevant to the different groups we are working with. This process also gave us a chance to
come together to consider how we are going to achieve these goals and where we see
ourselves in five years.
What is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty affecting the acquisition of fluent and accurate reading
and spelling skills. This occurs despite access to appropriate learning opportunities. Dyslexia is
characterised by cognitive difficulties in: phonological processing; working memory; and
speed of retrieval of information from long-term memory.
Difficulties arising from dyslexia occur on a continuum from mild to severe and affect
approximately 10% of the population. People with dyslexia may experience greater stress and
frustration as they endeavour to learn, resulting in heightened anxiety, particularly in relation to
literacy acquisition. People with dyslexia may also have accompanying learning strengths.
Our Stakeholders DAI is a national organisation providing a range of services nationwide. Our commitment to
working with and for people affected by dyslexia means we are dedicated to doing our best
for different groups of individuals. These individuals include:
Young People
One of the most important people in our organisation are the young people that we support.
Young people will often learn about DAI through their parents or teachers when they are
showing signs of dyslexia or other literacy difficulties. They will often start by getting an
assessment with one of our educational psychologists. If they have been assessed as having
dyslexia, many young people will take part in our courses and participate in our workshops to
learn about developing their literacy skills, self-esteem, and knowledge of dyslexia. If there is
any information they need, they can speak with our staff or use the resources available on our
website.
7
Adults
We provide a range of services for adults with dyslexia. They will often learn about our work
when they are experiencing difficulty with their literacy skills or in their jobs; some individuals
might not be aware that they have dyslexia. Through our website, we provide a range of online
resources that offer information on dyslexia and available supports. We also provide training
courses for adults with dyslexia, including Career Paths, which is a unique full-time programme
that provides training to unemployed adults with significant dyslexia, supporting their
progression to further education and the workplace.
Parents and Guardians
Parents and guardians are another important group that our organisation works with. When a
young person is assessed with dyslexia, parents have lots of questions about what can be done
to make sure their children are getting appropriate support, and also to understand their
strengths and needs. Through our Parent’s course, we work hard to share the latest information,
strategies and tools that families can use to support young people with dyslexia. In our national
office and through our workshops, we provide a range of information services and work to
connect parents with services and training designed to help improve their understanding of
dyslexia and, in turn, to support young people in the classroom and at home.
Primary and Secondary School Educators
Teachers, tutors and school principals have an important role in identifying young people that
may have dyslexia as well as supporting young people in schools. Our work can have a
positive impact on educators when they are provided with appropriate supports and
information to help a young person with dyslexia. We provide a range of workshop and courses
for primary and secondary school educators to improve their knowledge of effective strategies
for supporting young people with dyslexia, as well as how to detect signs of dyslexia in young
people.
Adult Educators
We also work with teachers and tutors working across the adult education section (community,
further and higher education, and workplace learning). Without access to up-to-date
information and research about dyslexia, it can be difficult to support individuals with dyslexia
or identify forms of adult dyslexia. Many adults with dyslexia have had no formal identification
or diagnosis. Our workshops and training courses help adult educators to understand specific
literacy difficulties for students with dyslexia and to learn how students can be best supported
in the classroom, as well as how to identity and assess learners needs.
Our Partners
Department of Education and Skills
The Department of Education and Skills is a department of the Irish state with responsibility for
education and training. The mission of the Department is to facilitate individuals through
learning, to achieve their full potential and contribute to Ireland's social, cultural and economic
development. The department also has a range of agencies with whom we also seek to work
in partnership, including the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), the National
Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), the Professional Development Service for Teachers
(PDST), and the State Examinations Commission (SEC).
Department of Rural and Community Development
The Department of Rural and Community Development provides our organisation with funding
under the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO), which is administered by Pobal.
8
Pobal
Pobal is a statutory agency that administers funding on behalf of the Irish Government. Pobal
currently provides DAI with multi-year funding under the Support Scheme for National
Organisations (SSNO) grant (2016-2019). The overall aim of the SSNO is to provide multi-annual
funding towards the core costs of national organisations in the community and voluntary sector
to assist them to operate and fund core staff positions.
Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board
The Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) provides co-funding to support
our Career Paths for Dyslexia course, a Local Training Initiative (LTI) which is a unique full-time
training programme for unemployed adults with significant dyslexia. Our Career Paths training
centre is currently in Leixlip, Co. Kildare.
Solas
Solas is a statutory agency with responsibility for funding, planning and co-ordinating Further
Education and Training. Solas is one of the funders of the Career Paths for Dyslexia Local
Training Initiative, as well as some of our services in relation to adult dyslexia.
9
Section Two: Dyslexia in Ireland
Overview This section briefly discusses the national context within which the Dyslexia Association of
Ireland work. Our work providing support to young people, adults, parents and families,
teachers and tutors is important, but we are also working to challenge people’s assumptions
and views about what dyslexia is and establish new standards for how support is provided in
Ireland.
What is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty affecting the acquisition of fluent and accurate reading
and spelling skills. This occurs despite access to appropriate learning opportunities. Dyslexia is
characterised by cognitive difficulties in: phonological processing; working memory; and
speed of retrieval of information from long-term memory.
Difficulties arising from dyslexia occur on a continuum from mild to severe and affect
approximately 8% of the population. People with dyslexia may experience greater stress and
frustration as they endeavour to learn, resulting in heightened anxiety, particularly in relation to
literacy acquisition. People with dyslexia may also have accompanying learning strengths.
Dyslexia in Ireland In Ireland, dyslexia is understood as a specific learning difficulty or special education need. In
Irish legislation, the term ‘learning difficulties’ and ‘special education needs” are used almost
interchangeable as a category that includes but is not limited to dyslexia. The Department of
Education and Skills differentiates between children with learning difficulties and learning
disabilities according to the type of resources they access. According to a National Council for
Special Education report, the allocation of resources for students with special education needs
and disabilities is carried out by the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and by the
National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
Under both the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 and the
Disability Act 2005 (1,3,4), a person can seek screening if they should show signs of dyslexia. In
circumstances where a special education need is identified through an assessment, under the
Disability Act, a child should then be referred to the National Council for Special Education. In
2016, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) proposed a new model of Special
Educational Needs (SEN) allocation in schools on a needs-based model; this commenced in
schools in September 2017. Support in schools in provided on a continuum of support model,
with staged access to increasing levels of support depending on the identified needs and
response to intervention, but also dependent on the available resources within schools.
Prevalence of Dyslexia in Ireland There is limited research available on the prevalence of dyslexia in Ireland, particularly for
adults. Often, research has looked at a broader category of learning difficulties, such as
specific learning difficulties or special education needs, and does not offer details on dyslexia
specifically. Other international studies have estimated that up to 8% of the population in
Ireland has dyslexia, while the HSE reports an estimate between 4 – 8 % of all school children
have some degree of dyslexia. However, 2016 census data shows that 3.3 per cent of the
population has a difficulty learning, or difficulty with remembering or concentrating. The
National Learning Network report that as many as 9% of the population in Ireland have a
specific learning disability which can includes dyslexia, dyspraxia, Asperger’s Syndrome, and
attention deficit hyperactive disorder. A 2018 research report by the National Council for
Special Education analyzing data from the Growing Up in Ireland study found the incidence of
specific learning disability (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia) to be almost 8%.
10
Section Three: Our Organisation
Our Organisation The structure of DAI is show here:
11
Our Vision, Mission and Values
Our Vision Our vision is a society that values and meets the needs of people with dyslexia, and where
dyslexic individuals reach their full potential in all aspects of life.
Our Mission We work with and for people affected by dyslexia. We empower individuals by providing
information, offering support services, engaging in advocacy and raising awareness of
dyslexia.
Our Values
We value…
empowerment of people affected by dyslexia
the lived experience of the individual
respect for, and well-being of, individuals with
dyslexia
equity of access to services
evidence-based and innovative practice
quality, integrity and leadership
volunteerism
transparency and accountability
collaboration and partnership
Our Services We provide the following services:
Information
Educational psychology assessment
Specialist tuition for children and adults,
including community based weekly
workshops for children nationwide and a
unique full-time course for unemployed adults
with dyslexia (Career Paths)
Training courses and seminars for parents,
teachers, educators, organisation and
workplaces
Lobbying and advocacy
Information Service The information service is often the first port of call for
those seeking information, advice and support on
dyslexia. Our small Information team at the National
Office, the volunteers and teachers in our Workshops
nationwide provide valuable information to help
people navigate their journey with dyslexia. We also
currently run a weekly information session on a drop-in
basis at National Office, which offers an open space
for people to get face-to-face assistance and advice.
DAI provides information sessions and seminars in local
communities, organisations and libraries to help raise awareness about dyslexia. In our
Workshops across the country, there are also many information sessions held with those seeking
information about dyslexia. DAI also holds stands and participates in various conferences and
events across Ireland.
12
Educational psychology assessment For those that are seeking a definitive answer of signs of dyslexia, DAI provides an educational
psychology assessment. The assessment is performed by an educational psychologist and is a
way of testing both relevant cognitive abilities and literacy skills (and also sometimes numeracy
skills). To test for dyslexia, our educational psychologists also gather appropriate background
information from parents, individuals, schools, colleges or other sources. The dyslexia
assessment is made based on a combination of the history reported and the performance on
the tests.
The National Office aims to have a team of up to four educational psychologists. Each
assessment lasts between 2 ½ to 3 hours. Each individual is provided with a detailed written
report, which contains relevant history, test results, conclusions as well as recommendations for
addressing any areas of difficulties.
Specialist tuition DAI provides a range of specialist tuition options including one-to-one tuition, workshop classes,
short courses and seminars, and occasional summer schools. We currently have a national
network of 26 workshops who provide weekly outside-of-school specialist tuition in small group
classes for children with dyslexia.
Career Paths for Dyslexia is a Local Training Initiative, which provides a unique full-time training
programme to unemployed adults with significant dyslexia at our centre in Leixlip, Co. Kildare.
Career Paths is a nine-month course run by DAI with support from both Kildare Wicklow
Education and Training Board (KWETB) and SOLAS. Career Paths makes a transformational
impact to the lives of adults who attend, evidenced by independent research undertaken in
2015 to evaluate the programme’s impact.
DAI also provides seminars and informal training for adults at our national office and at the
Career Paths Centre, and at seminars in various Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and adult
education centres around the country. We also continue to maintain (for our members) a list of
qualified teachers available for one-to-one tuition nationwide.
Training Courses and Seminars DAI provides a wide range of training and courses for young people and adults with dyslexia,
parents and families, teachers and other groups. These courses and workshops include:
Parents’ Course – This one-day course for parents offers need-to-know information
about dyslexia and gives practical strategies for parents to help support their children’s
self-esteem and school learning.
Teachers’ Courses – A three-day course for primary and secondary school teachers
that have an interest in learning how dyslexia can be identified and how students can
be supported in the classroom, and a one day seminar specifically for second level
teachers.
Dyslexia and Me – A course for young people to learn about dyslexia and to
understand how it affects individuals. This course focuses on helping young people to
boost the self-esteem and build resilience by focusing on the positives of dyslexia and
the specific talents of each participants.
Tablet Tech and Dyslexia – A workshop for a range of ages to demonstrate how
assistive technology, like apps, tablets and laptops, can help those with dyslexia.
Grammar and Punctuation – A five-week course aimed at adults with dyslexia to
improve their grammar, punctuation and literacy skills, especially for individuals
experiencing difficulty with their written work.
Supporting Students with Dyslexia – A one-day course for teachers and trainers in the
adult education sector to learn evidence-based strategies for supporting students with
dyslexia.
13
Assessment of Literacy Needs at Further Education Level – A course for educators
working in further education to enable them to complete an assessment for learners
with literacy difficulties and queried dyslexia, which will help them to better meet those
student’s needs.
Bespoke training – We also provide a wide range of bespoke training and information
seminars for different groups on request, including workplace dyslexia awareness
training, seminars for HR staff, general dyslexia information talks for libraries and
community groups.
Lobbying and advocacy Both nationally and locally, DAI is committed to advocating on behalf of those with dyslexia as
well as their families. Through our regular contact with individuals and families, as well as our
research, we strive to promote greater awareness of dyslexia in Ireland. We also run campaigns
to help people with dyslexia reach their full potential in all aspects of life, and celebrate their
successes.
Our Commitment to Quality
Governance and Quality for the Board Our Board of Directors (Charity Trustees) oversees all areas of the organisation. It is charged
with providing rigorous and appropriate oversight of the organisation. The job of the Board of
Directors is to make sure they support our CEO to run DAI and that staff have what they need in
order to support our members and the public effectively. A proud achievement for the Board
of Directors in 2016 was becoming fully compliant with the Governance Code for Community,
Voluntary and Charitable Organisations. The Governance Code is a national standard of good
practice for Boards of Directors of community and voluntary services in Ireland. The Code
details all the processes and policies that a Board needs to have in place in order to comply
with good practice in the sector.
Another important achievement in 2016-2017 was restructuring and amalgamating our
nationwide network of workshops under the central governance of DAI. The nationwide
network involves 26 workshops across Ireland who provide information and support at
community level for young people, adults, families, teachers and tutors, which now operate
under the governing structures of DAI.
The following Board sub-committees operate to make sure that DAI fulfils all its requirements,
and that we continue to work efficiently:
Finance & Risk Sub-committee
Communications & Fundraising Sub-committee
Strategic Planning Working Group
Education Advisory Committee
Governance & Policy Review Group
In recent years, the Board has focussed, in particular, on:
Achieving compliance with the Governance Code;
Restructuring the organisation and amalgamating our workshops under central control
to enable compliance with charities and companies’ legislation;
Developing our engagement within the wider adult education sector to highlight the
needs of adults with dyslexia;
Developing the effectiveness of our Board of Directors;
DAI will continue to strive for the highest standards of governance over the coming years. To
this end, the Board will, with the support of the Governance and Policy Review Group,
14
systematically conduct on-going review of the Governance Code and make adjustments and
further improvements as required.
Consultation with Members As part of our commitment to deliver effective, appropriate services to our members, as well as
part of our on-going development, we regularly undertake surveys and run evaluations with our
members to gather their views and feedback about our service delivery. As an organisation,
we value regular communication and engagement with our wider membership to keep
ourselves informed if we are meeting the needs of those affected by dyslexia. Last year, nearly
500 members, including young people with dyslexia, parents and guardians and teachers,
responded our annual survey. These findings helped us to understand how we could further
develop our services and their suggestions informed our 2018 – 2022 strategic plan.
15
Section Four: Developing the Plan
Gathering ideas To gather ideas for our strategic plan, we wanted to hear from as many people as possible that
are interested in our work. We wanted to understand what our stakeholders and members think
about our work, and find ways to make it better over the coming five years. We consulted with
over 200 people, as shown in the figure below. We consulted with people in a variety of ways,
including surveys and focus groups.
Figure 1 Groups and individuals involved in our strategic plan
Exploring Ideas After we collected information from these groups, the Board and staff came together to look
at the feedback and see what suggestions people had offered. We quickly identified things
that could be improved and considered how we were going to address these needs. In our
sessions, we found many of the ideas were recommending similar ways that our services could
be improved for members, especially adults and young people with dyslexia, as well as new
ways for us to help. Some of these ideas became the goals included in our strategic plan for
the coming five years.
16
Principles underpinning the strategic planning
process To ensure that this strategic plan would be developed in a way that
reflected the values of our organisation and our members’ priorities,
the process was guided by the following principles:
Inclusive – To ensure that the strategic plan would reflect the
needs, hopes and concerns of DAI members and our clients,
we found multiple ways to engage in the process through
surveys and focus groups;
Good practice focussed – The process was informed, where
relevant, by good practice as defined by relevant standards
and current good practice with the education, disability
and not-for-profit sector;
Consultative – Decisions were made in relation to the
development of specific services with the involvement and
agreement with our full Board and staff team;
Ambitious and achievable – The plan aimed to be both
ambitious and achievable and considered resources and
supports required to make the plan a reality.
Reviewing our Vision, Mission and Values It was an important part of our journey towards completing this plan
that our Board and staff revise and update our ‘vision, mission and
values’. Our vision is a statement that describes what DAI believes an
ideal world looks like for people with dyslexia. Our mission statement
describes the work that our team does, to help make that vision a
reality. Our values, which were previously developed, describe how
we do our work.
Finalising the Plan Our strategic plan was finished when the Board and staff came
together to think, logistically, how we were going to achieve these
goals year by year over the coming five years. After this was agreed,
the Board were asked to review the final document and give a final
approval on the strategic plan.
Getting Support to Make Our Plan Throughout the planning process, we were helped by another
charity, Quality Matters, who collected the information from our
partners, put it into reports for us, and helped us to make decisions in
strategic planning sessions.
Figure 2 Developing our five-
year strategic plan
17
Section Five: Our Strategic Goals
Overview The Dyslexia Association of Ireland is a large service, working with a wide range of young
people and adults with dyslexia, as well as parents and families, teachers and other educators.
In our 2018 to 2022 strategic plan, our goals are focussed on making sure that we are doing the
best we can to support our stakeholders and finding new ways to be innovative in our work.
This means, we have been reviewing our core service as well as exploring new ways to work
and new opportunities.
This strategic plan has a focus on key areas of development and change for the Dyslexia
Association of Ireland. Not everything that we do is mentioned in this plan. Existing core services
will continue as normal. This plan seeks to outlines our strategic development goals over the
lifetime of this plan. In the coming years, there will be unanticipated challenges, which may
require that our strategic goals be modified or changed to achieve our goals.
The following section gives an explanation of the rationale and “spirit” of each goal, as well as
what we hope will change as a result.
Commitment to Continuous Quality Improvement Over the coming years, we will be working towards implementing our strategic plan and
working closely with some our partner organisations to achieve these goals. Underpinning all of
our goals are a few key priorities for our Board and staff team. These priorities are:
Building on the strengths of our on-going work – This strategic plan is an opportunity for
us to consolidate our knowledge and expertise working with people with and affected
by dyslexia. We already provide a lot of information, support and training for different
stakeholders and we want to continue to make sure we are doing a good job and
supporting our clients.
Client-focussed – We want to ensure that all of our services and training courses are
dyslexia-friendly and speak directly to the needs and experiences of different
audiences and stakeholders.
Reviewing our model of delivery – As we review what’s working well, we are interested
in working in a quality-focussed, innovative way that encourages our staff to think
creatively about how we will achieve our goals. We want to make sure that our
services are cost-effective and well resourced, and continue to be increasingly
accessible to people across Ireland.
Value for money – With each of our strategic goals, we want to make sure that our
work is appropriately funded and will be taking steps to secure the necessary funding
to achieve our goals and support our members. With any services that involve a fee,
we want to make sure that any costs are affordable and provide excellent value for
money.
18
Goal One: Formalise a learning pathway for young people, adults,
parents and families, teachers and other educators
Rationale: Our members have told us there can be confusion and worry when someone learns
they have dyslexia and what this could mean for their education or career. For young people,
adults, parents and family members, and teachers, this process involves learning about dyslexia
and developing new skills to navigate through education, employment or in their personal lives.
Embarking on this journey can be confusing; people need help with figuring out what to
prioritise in terms of developing knowledge and skills needed. Parents and family members also
need support and information to help with their own learning journey, as well as understanding
what can be done to support a young person in their education and development. We
recognise that this process is important when everyone has a clear plan explaining this process
with their own steps for developing knowledge and understanding of dyslexia.
Action: Our plan is to develop a learning pathway that builds on the effective, important work
that we are already providing. Our learning pathway is a blended learning approach that
supports individuals through the various milestones for learning about dyslexia. For each
stakeholder group, we will be developing a unique learning pathway that highlights the
essential need-to-know information, training and supports to help someone with developing
the necessary skills and information. These new services will include:
Resources / Supports Description
Needs Assessments Everyone working with the Dyslexia Association of Ireland will start
with a needs assessment that will help with making a plan and
identifying the best ways to support young people, adults, parents
and families.
Modularised Training We will be reviewing our existing training and developing a new
series of training for each stakeholder group. All of our training will be
dyslexia-friendly and accessible to people who want to participate
either online or attend in-person.
Outcomes
Measurement
To help us understand if people are progressing, we will be
measuring the impact of our work in order to understand where
further support or training is needed.
In addition, we will be undertaking a review of all of our existing training and support materials
in order to consolidate our work and experience. These new services will continue to be
underpinned by the work we are already providing for our different stakeholders, such as our
educational psychology assessments, training and information service including online support.
How we will achieve this:
Step One: Undertake a review of our current training, resources and information
services. We will be focussing on areas for further development as well as areas where
further research is needed.
Step Two: Develop a series of training modules. We will be further developing our
current training courses with a view to offering new training modules for each
stakeholder group. We will also be developing new online resources and exploring
how each training module could be delivered online, for individuals unable to attend
in person. As part of this step, we will be undertaking consultation with different groups
to better understand where we can provide further support and information.
Step Three: Development of a needs assessment and outcomes for different
stakeholder groups. We will be undertaking further research to develop a new needs
assessment for individuals and families when they start working with our organisation.
19
We hope this process will help signpost and identify ways that our training modules can
best support different individuals.
Step Four: An online launch of our new Learning Pathway. After we have completed
developing our new online resources and training modules, we will be planning a soft
launch of our new learning pathway in order to ensure that our partner organisations
and other service providers are informed of this important resource. As part of this step,
we will be engaging a graphic designer to help us with designing dyslexic-friendly,
visual resources for both print and online.
What we hope will improve: All of our stakeholders will feel confident and clear about how they
can learn about dyslexia and develop useful skills in the future. People affected by dyslexia will
feel empowered and have the help they need to effectively navigate supports, services and
different environments in their lives. Parents, families and teachers will acquire much needed
knowledge and skills that will help others and provide support that will continue to empower
people with dyslexia.
20
Goal Two: Further develop our model for service delivery in our
Workshops and develop a new Toolkit and Quality Standard process
Rationale: When speaking with our members, they told us that having easy-to-access
information and peer-support for young people, and their parents, is very important. Our
nationwide network of workshops provides local support and information for a range of
stakeholders; there are currently 26 workshops across the country. We want to ensure that our
workshops continue to provide high-quality, dyslexia-friendly and accessible services across the
country, as well as that our staff and volunteers are appropriately supported in undertaking
their work and are provided with up-to-date information about dyslexia.
Action: Our plan is to further develop our workshop model for how services and information is
delivered nationwide by undertaking a co-production approach with Workshop personnel. We
will be establishing a working group of local Workshop Coordinators to develop this project
alongside staff at our national office. We will develop a new Workshop Toolkit, a guidebook
containing individualised resources on each of our local services, as well as containing
additional tools, exercises and guidance for working with our different stakeholders. In addition,
we will be developing a Workshop quality standard, which will be a practical resource for our
workshops to ensure they continue to provide high-quality, appropriate support services in their
local communities.
How we will achieve this:
Step One: Establish a working group to undertake a review of our workshop model. We
will start by reviewing our current workshop services in order to better understand what
supports can be further improved. We feel it is important that we undertake a co-
production approach, where Workshop Coordinators and national office staff work
collaboratively on this project.
Step Two: Develop a new Workshop Toolkit. We will start by identifying a menu of
services delivered by workshops. Our plan is to develop a list of high-quality services
that can be delivered in our workshops, as well as a quality standard process to help
ensure these are being delivered in a client-focussed, high-quality way.
Step Three: Pilot a quality standard process with three Workshops. Develop and pilot a
new quality standard process, as part of professional support and development with
Workshop Coordinators. This process will incorporate feedback from service users and
stakeholders.
Step Four: Undertake consultation with Workshops about implementation of quality
standard. Our plan is to make sure that this implementation process is engaging,
productive and useful for our workshops. As part of this step, we will be providing direct
support with our Workshop coordinators and will have frequent discussion about how
we provide high-quality support through our nationwide network.
Step Five: Embed our new quality standard practice across all Workshops. Once we
have launched our quality standard process, we will be undertaking a review
nationally to ensure that we are providing high quality, dyslexia-friendly services across
the country as well as working on ways we continue to provide support to Workshops.
What we hope will improve: Our Workshop Coordinators will continue to be supported to
deliver a range of high-quality services for young people, adults, parents and families, which
will be underpinned by new resources and a quality standard in order to ensure services are
consistent nationwide. Our clients will able to further access support and information in any of
our workshops or through our national office.
21
Goal Three: Develop an advocacy strategy that promotes (1) equity of
access to identification and assessment of dyslexia and (2) mandatory
training for teachers at all levels
Rationale: Teachers at all levels of education play an important role in identifying signs of
dyslexia, as well as other literacy and learning difficulties. When speaking with teachers and
educators they have asked for more support with understanding dyslexia, especially access to
further training about ways that teachers can support students and correctly identify signs of
dyslexia.
When speaking with adults, parents and families, they have raised concerns about the
challenges in getting assessed for dyslexia. Specifically, they have highlighted how educational
psychology assessments can be expensive and difficult to access. We feel that more research
is needed to develop a strong evidence base that supports a new method of assessment,
which is more affordable and accessible for a range of individuals.
We feel that teachers should be trained to recognise signs of dyslexia and provided with
mandatory training to understand how young people and adults can be supported both in the
classroom and at home in their learning. We want to support other educators working with
young people and adults with dyslexia, to ensure there is proper training about dyslexia and
they have the necessary skills to guide students in the classroom.
Action: We will start by undertaking a review of how dyslexia is addressed in initial teacher
training programmes at all levels. We plan on collaborating with other neurodiversity and
disability organisations, as well as colleges and universities, in order to best understand what
practices for identification and assessment reflect good practice. We will also meet with
teachers at all levels to understand what information, supports and skills are critically needed.
We will also explore the feasibility of partnership with other organisations to develop a national
dyslexia awareness-building campaign.
How we will achieve this:
Step One: Undertake research into the current policy landscape for dyslexia. We will
be establishing a working group that will be responsible for undertake research into the
current policy and gathering support within our sector. As part of this step, we will be
undertaking consultations with teachers, school principals, tutors and other educators
to better understand their views and opinions on teacher training and dyslexia
identification.
Step Two: Undertake a research study on a new model of assessment for dyslexia.
Working with a university partner, we will be undertaking a research project/pilot study
to evaluate a new appropriate model for identifying and assessing dyslexia, which can
be undertaken by teachers and provide the same level of results as current methods.
Step Three: Development of a dyslexia communication and advocacy strategy. Once
we have identified key areas for policy development, we will be developing a clear
plan with key objectives for each major issue.
What we hope will improve: Teachers, school principals and other educators will be important
participants in a campaign advocating for further training to support those working with young
people and adults with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Young people and adults with
dyslexia will have a new means of getting assessed for dyslexia in schools/colleges that will be
much easier to access and more affordable. We hope that this means more people will be
assessed and will subsequently find it easier to access support with their dyslexia as well as
enabling them to be positive about their dyslexia. Mandatory dyslexia training for teachers will
ensure that the needs of learners with dyslexia will be better met.
22
Goal Four: Support the Adult Education sector to develop and adopt
inclusion policies in relation to current good practice
Rationale: There are differing views of the definition of inclusion and we have found that while
many educators are interested in developing more dyslexia-friendly learning environments,
creating a more inclusive learning environment can be a challenge. When speaking with
teachers and educators in the Adult Education sector, they have asked for support with
ensuring they are effectively supporting people with dyslexia with their progression into
education, training and employment. There is a growing movement around making sure that
people with additional needs are appropriately supported and engaged in their learning.
Action: We will develop a strategy to support the Adult Education sector to develop inclusion
and equity policies. An inclusive learning environment refers to a learning environment that
regards and respects all students, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, ability, socio-economic
background or special educational needs, as well as recognises the contribution that every
person has to make. We also will undertake consultations with teachers, educators and other
key stakeholders to understand ways in which policy supporting the development of inclusive
learning environments could be translated into changes in practice across the whole adult
education sector.
How we will achieve this:
Step One: Undertaking research into good practice in relation to adoption of inclusion
and equity policies in the adult education sector. We will be developing a clear
evidence base to support the need for inclusion and equity policies at all levels of
adult education. As part of this step, we will undertake consultations with educators
and learners in further and higher education to understand what practical supports
are needed to enable the implementation of these policies
Step Two: Develop an Inclusion Support pack for adult education centres. To support
teachers and educators with undertaking their own policy development process, we
will be developing a new resource containing practical guidance, examples of
inclusion and equity policies and instructions for localising these policies. In addition,
we will be developing a learning pathway for teachers and educators, which will
include new training modules and online resources.
Step Three: Launch Inclusion pack for adult education sector. Once we have
completed our inclusion pack, we will be working with key organisations in the adult
education sector to implement this resource. We will be closely monitoring the different
services that are using this pack and providing them with support to localise these
policies and best practices. In addition, we will be gathering feedback from teachers,
educators and learners to understand the impact of this work.
What we hope will improve: A strategy for the Adult Education sector means involving
individuals and representatives at all levels, from learners to service providers. We want to
support all education centres providing adult education or further and higher education to
develop their own inclusion and equity policies, and to have a clear plan for undertaking this
process within their own means and resources. We hope the development of these policies will
result in positive changes in practice and will ensure that classrooms are inclusive learning
environments for everyone, especially individuals with learning and literacy difficulties.
23
Goal Five: Further develop organisationally to respond to emerging
challenges and the needs of our clients and members
Rationale: Over the past few years, DAI has completed a major restructuring process involving
our nationwide network of workshops. Both our Board of Directors and staff recognise that our
commitment to growth and providing high-quality, cost-effective services is an on-going
process that requires we support our organisation and staff to develop professionally.
Over the coming years, we would like to be internally focussed on the growth of our
organisation by ensuring that we take appropriate steps to support and enable our staff with
implementing this strategic plan. As we undertake a review of our services and model, we
want to ensure that staff are supported to undertake new areas of work and have opportunity
to develop their professional skills.
Action: We will be developing an internal strategy for our staff to provide on-going peer
supervision and support within our national office. We want to promote an inclusive,
collaborative work environment where staff are empowered to think innovatively and make
decisions that can have a positive impact on our work and for our members’ lives. There will
also be opportunity for our staff to share knowledge and training with one another, so we can
effectively respond to a range of challenges or emerging issues.
How we will achieve this:
Step One: Develop an internal strategy for supporting the professional development of
our organisation and staff. We will be working with our staff to identify areas where
further training or support is needed in order to implement this strategic plan. As part of
this step, we will consider new ways that we can work collaboratively to achieve these
goals within our current resources. This will include ongoing staff support, well-being
and development (including recruitment and retention), as well as volunteer
development.
Step Two: Consider innovative solutions to delivering high-quality, cost-effective and
accessible services. As we work to implement this strategic plan, we want to ensure
that we continue to provide high-quality, cost-effective services that are accessible to
individuals living in both urban and rural areas. As we continue to grow
organisationally, we recognise that we must undertake new activities, such as
increasing our fundraising or advocacy work, as well as consider new, innovative
approaches to delivering services, such as providing blended learning or developing
new online resources.
Step Three: Review our funding model and fundraising strategy on an annual basis. Our
Board will review our funding model and capacity to generate additional funds
through new fundraising campaigns. In order to develop the organisation and staff,
our Board will work to ensure there are adequate resources in place that will enable us
to achieve the strategic development which is planned.
What we hope will improve: Our staff are supported in grow professionally in order to
implement this strategic plan and to develop our organisation in the coming years. We want to
ensure that staff in our national office are properly resourced and skilled to respond to new,
emerging challenges. The funding base of the organisation will be increased to resource the
growth required to achieve of our strategic plan.
24
Bibliography
1. Banks J, McCoy S. A Study on the Prevalence of Special Education
Needs [Internet]. National Council for Special Education; 2011.
(National Council for Special Education Research Reports). Report No.:
9. Available from: https://www.esri.ie/pubs/BKMNEXT198.pdf
2. Dyslexia Introduction [Internet]. Ireland’s Health Service. [cited 2018
Mar 8]. Available from:
https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/az/d/dyslexia/introduction.html
3. Guide to the Disability Act 2005 [Internet]. Department of Justice,
Equality and Law Reform; 2005. Available from:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/DisabilityAct05Guide.pdf/Files/DisabilityA
ct05Guide.pdf
4. Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004
[Internet]. Number 30 of 2004. Available from:
https://www.sess.ie/sites/default/files/EPSEN_Act_2004.pdf
5. Census of Population 2016 – Profile 9 Health, Disability and Carers.
Types of Disability - CSO - Central Statistics Office. [Internet]. Central
Statistics Office. [cited 2018 Mar 9]. Available from:
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-
cp9hdc/p8hdc/p9tod/
6. Supporting Students with Special Education Needs in Schools. National
Council for Special Education; 2013. (NCSE Policy Advice Paper).
Report No.:
7. National Learning Network. Specific learning difficulties Ireland, specific
learning difficulties [Internet]. [cited 2018 Mar 14]. Available from:
http://www.nln.ie/Community-Based-Rehab/Assessment-
Service/Specific-Learning-Difficulties.aspx
8. Educational Experiences and Outcomes of Children with Special
Educational Needs: Phase 2 - from age 9 to 13. NCSE Research Report
No. 25
9. DAI's Educational Psychology Assessment Policy. Available at:
http://www.dyslexia.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DAI-Educational-
Psychology-Assessment-Policy-April-2015.pdf
25
Appendix
Board of Directors (as of 13th April, 2018)
Company Director Name Role
Natasha Kearns Chairperson
Olive Connolly Vice Chairperson
Gerard McCoy Treasurer
David Waldron Company Secretary
Mary Cosgrave Board Member
Sarah McNally Board Member
Thérèse McPhillips Board Member
Barbara Moran Board Member
Glòria Rull Board Member
Funders and Partner Organisations
