How Economic Disparities Can Affect People With Dyslexia

How Economic Disparities Can Affect People With Dyslexia

By Maura Baker

It’s clear that Dyslexia is no stranger to intersectionality. Many factors (living area, race, gender, etc) can have an effect on whether Dyslexic people get the help they need. Economic and financial factors are one of the many things that can have an impact on the availability of help and accommodations for Dyslexic people. Here’s how:

In School

Especially when kids are younger, it’s important that they are given good foundations for learning to read. One of the best ways to ensure this is for schools to have Orton Gillingham trained teachers, as this method of teaching is scientifically proven to not only help Dyslexic students become better readers, writers, and spellers, but can also help students without Dyslexia gain a better understanding of language. 

Unfortunately, Orton Gillingham training can be expensive. According to ortonacademy.org, the cost of training varies, and through some research I did, this seems to be extremely accurate. Commlearntraining.com puts the cost of training at around $1,500, however, some organizations, such as the Reed Charitable Foundation, have made efforts to make this training free for public school teachers. Either way, many schools in low-income areas may not have the money or resources to invest in this training, or other accommodations (such as assistive technology) for Dyslexic students. 

Out of School

Some families turn to outside assistance (such as tutors) if their children aren’t getting what they need in school. However, tutoring can be expensive, and therefore not accessible to many people.

According to pridereadingprogram.com, a Orton Gillingham tutor can cost (on average) $80-100 an hour. This is simply too expensive for many people, which unfortunately means that this form of help is not an option for many Dyslexic children in low-income families.

While these are just some of the ways economic disparities can affect people with Dyslexia, it is clear that it is an obstacle for many to get the assistance they need. However, as more people start to become aware of these issues, hopefully there will be an increase in charitable work which aims to help low-income Dyslexic students.