That’s me at Queen’s Park on the left: Looking small but standing tall!
That’s my daughter on the right: Heading into our MPP’s office!
We were at Queen’s Park, the home of our provincial government, in November to take part in the launch of “Bill 149 2019: An Act to proclaim Dyslexia Awareness Month.” The bill calls for a dyslexia awareness month to be observed in Ontario every October, and identifies the need for early identification and intervention.
To start the day, we were honoured to participate in a dyslexia awareness press conference along with our MPP Joel Harden (from Ottawa Centre), as well as families and advocates from across Ontario. My daughter and I spoke about the lack of support for students with dyslexia in public school. She summed it up perfectly:
“If we were just given a chance to learn, we would. We shouldn’t have to pay [a private company] to learn to read, it should be something you learn at school.”
After the press conference, we watched (and cheered on!) as MPP Harden presented the bill in the legislature. Bill 149 2019 was carried, and now it follows these steps before becoming law:
- First Reading (November 26, 2019)
- Committee
- Second Reading
- Committee
- Third Reading
- Royal Assent
The bill came about as a result of family’s meeting with MPP Harden, and other MPPs across the province over the past year, where we shared our personal stories and the need for greater awareness and support in our public schools.
Thank you to MPP Harden — who not only listened to our lived experiences, but took action!
We hope that all MPPs will support the bill and its journey through Queen’s Park–stay tuned for more!
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